Healing
by firevixen73
Summary: Tea mysteriously falls into a coma and Seto is suckered into helping her by Mokuba, now he's helping bring her back learning about her mysterious past along the way, meanwhile Tea is somehow in ancient egypt trying to pass off as her past self
1. Default Chapter

**Chapter 1**

Tea sat on her large dark blue sofa. The oversized cushions surrounded her petite frame, enclosing her in a case of pillows and blankets. They were so warm and friendly, giving her the feeling of complete and unwavering protection from all the harm the world tries to cause. No, correction. All the harm the world _had_ caused, especially her.

Tea snuggled deeper into the surrounding warmth. The last thing she wanted to do was get up and leave the safety net she had created for herself. She reached over and grabbed the hot chocolate sitting next to her on the old maple coffee table. She took a quick sip; letting the warm liquid fun down her throat until she could no longer feel the warmth flow it's coarse through her body.

She looked closer into the fireplace, which held the fire that was blazing in front of her. She had always liked fires, well, a least compared to heaters. Something about them jus brought a feeling of peace, of togetherness. Something she had always longed for. Something she would probably never have.

Tea stole a quick glance out the nearest window. It was still snowing, but it seemed to be slowing down. That meant it would probably stop soon. She squeezed the mug that was in encased in her hands even tighter, trying to absorb its heat into her body.

When she finally released it, she placed the mug back down on the coffee table. She tried her hardest to not let it come. She really did. She didn't want to admit she was weak, or that it affected her, but that just made it come even faster. No, she wouldn't let it.

She looked back outside. The snow had almost stopped now. As she looked outside, the thing she had been trying so hard to prevent happened, a single tear could be seen running down the right side of her cheek. She wouldn't dare wipe it away, no, that would be acknowledging that it was there. She turned back around and stared back into the fire.

It wasn't like she hated the snow or anything, it just brought back memories. Memories she had tried so desperately to forget. Feeling she didn't want to have. She refused to feel like this. There were people with much bigger problems then her.

Tea slowly willed her self to stand up, the ocean of warmth that had surrounded her, gone. She didn't care, she had to do something. If there was one thing she knew, it was that wallowing in self-pity didn't get you anywhere.

Tea looked over at her kitchen. 'That's it, I'll cook something.' She thought to herself. Tea quickly moved over to the freezer and pulled out a pack of frozen chicken.

"I better make it for more than just one, who knows who will be coming over today? Joey, Duke or Tristen, hungry, as usual. I mean really, they come over every other day asking what's for dinner. You kind of just have to include them in on your plans. Then theirs Mia, she comes over every time she has some new dueling trick she wants me to see. Or Serenity having more boyfriend troubles. You know, now that I think about it Duke and Mia have been coming over a lot lately, and I think I saw Weavel and Rex a few times as well. Just the other day I saw, oh, what's his name, the guy that lost his father at sea? I can't remember, oh well, maybe I'm just seeing things."

Tea just sighed as she placed the chicken in the pan and started to get out other things needed for her recipe; salt, pepper, green chili, garlic powder, onions, butter, water. She also pulled out some frozen corn and instant potatoes.

"Can't forget about Yugi or gramps either. They always like to come over and talk duel monsters. You would think they would get it by now that I really don't like the game. But I guess it's not like I can exactly tell them why, now can I."

She turned around and set the oven to 400 degrees.

"Oh well, first come first serve." She said quietly to herself. At that moment one of her many cats jumped up on the counter. He had a base color of white with black and tan splotches all over his body.

"Trisket! What do you think your doing?" She said trying to be intimidating. Trisket just meowed and cocked his head. He then walked up to her and started nuzzling her cheek. That was enough to make her fold.

"Alright, alright, you win." Trisket jumped off the counter when she threw her hands up, indicating surrender. Tea walked over to her fridge and pulled out the milk bottle. Suddenly there was another cat by her feet and three kittens trotting around the door. She pulled three small bowls down from the cupboard and poured them each some milk.

They all quickly ran over, each trying to get their fill. Tea just watched with amusement. Yes, she knew it; she was going to be that old lady with a bunch of cats. She didn't know why but she had always loved cats, dogs and other animals too, but cats were her absolute favorite. In fact, all of these happened to be strays that she had rescued from some place or another. All her animals were. She guessed she did it, well, because she could sympathize.

A timer was heard in the background, indicating the oven was ready. She walked over and put the chicken in. She knew it was weird. Broiling chicken, but it was great. It was a recipe she had concocted when she was younger, and it was fabulous.

"Guess I better feed everyone else." She walked over to the back yard where a dog sat patiently waiting for her. He was adorable, just sitting out their in the snow. He was a beautiful husky that absolutely loved the snow. She grabbed a towel to wipe off his feet and then led him inside to his bowl in the laundry room.

She looked up when she heard the doorbell. She flipped the watch on her wrist over to see that it was only 5:37.

"Well, it's not Joey or Tristen, they don't get off of baseball practice for another 20 minutes. Mia's still on her date with that Brad guy, Serenity was also still on her date. Maybe it's Yugi." She reached for the door handle, completely oblivious to the eyehole that could have told her to be prepared.

She froze. Right then and there. Out of everyone she could have expected, they were not on that little list.

"Gardner, open up the damn door so we can get in, it's cold, or maybe you hadn't noticed." Came a cold calculating voice.

She pushed the door open, that being the only thing she could will her body to do.

Seto Kaiba walked into the medium sized house, a scowl plastered on his corporate face. Ishizu was soon to follow along with Marik by her side.

Tea, finally finding her physical ability's again, shut the door and walked over to her 'company'. They were each sitting down next to the warm fireplace, Kaiba being in the armchair, Marik and Ishizu both sitting on the couch. They all just stared at her as if expecting something.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" She asked in a polite voice. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kaiba roll his eyes and cross his arms. Oh, she just wanted to smack him senseless some times, like now for instance.

Ishizu decided to be the first to speak. "Well, we needed to talk to Kaiba and wanted to do it somewhere safe. We figured the last place anyone would look was at your house considering your one of Yugi's friends."

"And you would be hiding from who exactly?"

"No one in particular, just anyone who has something against Kaiba."

Tea just laughed slightly to herself. "Anyone who would want to see Kaiba destroyed. This may not be the best place. I mean, Joey, Tristen and Duke are over often, Serenity and Mia both aren't exactly on good terms with him and Yugi randomly pops over. Like I said, maybe not the best."

Marik finally decided to talk. "Yes, but if any one of them decided to stop by you could control them. Don't try to fool me Tea, I was in your mind, every single one of them listens to your every word. But then again, there was that door. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get it open." He looked at her curiously.

That little twit. He must have been looking for the perfect opportunity to bring that up. Ya, I remember him poking around, and I also remember fighting him off, he was only able to partially control me. "Do yourself a favor Marik, stick to trying to figure out Kaiba and his mind, you'll get farther." She heard a snort come from the CEO's side of the room.

Marik just smirked, and through his hands up, indicating defeat.

"Ok, talk all you want, if you want some chicken I'll bring it out." She walked into the kitchen and pulled our four plates and piled chicken, rolls and potatoes on them. She left her own in the kitchen, really not wanting to hear what they were going to be talking about. She walked in and handed them each a plate, until she got to Kaiba.

He still had that same 'I'm better then you look' plastered on his face. "Hungry?"

"Not if you made it, it's probably poisoned." His facial expression didn't change at all as he said this.

Oh, she wanted to hurt him so bad. Now normally after he would say something like this, she would pour whatever she was holding down his pants, but she had just had the furniture shampooed. Stupid Kaiba, he was just so, so, _him._

She practically threw the plate at him. I mean, she couldn't let him starve. Or maybe she could. "That's a good idea, I'll have to try it next time I see you."

She started to walk out of the room but Ishizu stopped her. "Don't you want to hear what were talking about?"

"No," She stated calmly without turning around to face her. "I really don't like duel monsters and it's pretty obvious that's what you're going to be talking about."

Marik looked over at her. "Really, then why are you such good friends with Yugi and Joey, not to mention, how could anyone not like duel monsters?"

She just sighed. There were a lot of answers to those questions. "It's not like they were big duel champions when I first met them. I'm not going to stop being friends with someone just because they play a game that I don't like."

She then quietly walked out of the room, thinking of the one person who made her hate dueling, her father. As soon as she took a bite of her chicken the doorbell rang again. She walked over, through the stare, or should it be glare, of Kaiba. Just once I'd like to punch him and get away with it.

She opened up the door, to reveal none other than Yugi. "Hey Yugi, now's not actually the best time…" But he just pushed his way through, intent of finding something, or more like someone.

"Yami, how nice to see you, I see you got my message. Please sit down we have much to talk about." Ishizu said very casually.

"You said you were going to tell me about my past if I came, so talk." He looked incredibly focused, way too much in Tea's opinion. So much so she couldn't help but laugh.

All four guests turned and faced her in utter bewilderment. "What the hell is wrong with you Gardner?" Asked Kaiba without the slightest hint of emotion, well, besides being utterly annoyed.

"I'm sorry, It's just Yami reminded me so much of you with that serious face on. I mean it was like the time you couldn't figure out the answer to that math problem in class. I thought you were going to combust and well, Yami had that same look." She started to walk off into the direction of her kitchen, still laughing.

Kaiba looked as if he was going to pounce. "I do not find that funny Gardner!" He practically screamed.

"Well I do, so bite me." She then walked into the kitchen, now laughing at the fact that she had pissed off Kaiba. That always cheered her up, I mean, just because she was nice to almost everyone she met didn't mean she didn't enjoy messing with peoples heads. Especially his, he was way to egotistical for his own good.

Yami was still standing when Tea left, only this time with a smile on his face. Tea could always brighten up his day. By either some smart remark or her loving nature, she always mad him happier, especially when it was at Kaiba's expense. He went and sat down next to Ishizu, ready for an explanation.

Kaiba was mad, no, he was really mad. How the hell did she always manage to do that? She could always find that one button that would set him off into the pool of emotion. He worked to hard to get rid of emotion to have some happy go lucky cheerleader mess it all up. It's probably all her parents fault. They probably spoiled her rotten and were constantly telling her how much they loved her and how special she was. Damn cheerleader.

Marik and Ishizu both sat and watched the pharaoh and sorcerers faces. It really was amusing, especially how Tea had her own little way with each of them. But the best part was when Tea and Seto would fight. Especially because they each knew a part of how their fates intertwined and how they would eventually have to work together, without killing each other. Yes, amusing was defiantly the right word here.

Tea sat in her kitchen, thinking of how much of a jerk Kaiba was. Yes, he really was one. She sat there stroking one of her cats. Her head then started to throb again. It had been happening a lot lately. In fact, it really started to pick up around her seventeenth birthday, which was about a month ago. She had gone to the doctors but they claimed that nothing was wrong and she was probably just overdoing it on the stress level.

She reached into the kitchen medicine cabinet and pulled out the aspirin only to find it empty. She was about to go upstairs when she heard the doorbell again.

"Better get that, wouldn't want mister 'leave me alone or die' to throw a hissy fit." She looked down at her cat Trisket. "I wonder if he likes cats?" She got an evil smirk on her face. She looked back at her cat. "Promise you'll make mommy proud?"

Her cat just meowed back at her, so Tea took that as a yes. She picked up Trisket and walked into the living room.

"Bout time Gardner. What, do you not even know how to answer your own door?" Said a cocky CEO. If only he knew.

Tea walked over to him. "Your right, answering the door is to hard for a helpless little girl like me. I think I might need two hands." She then dropped Trisket on Kaiba's lap.

She smiled when Kaiba bit his bottom lip as soon as Trisket and his lap make contact. "Oh, by the way, as I'm sure you already found out, but I don't believe in de-clawing animals." After that she basically skipped over to the door. Gee, I wonder what Trisket could have landed on that's in his lap that would make him bite his bottom lip that hard. Wow, this is just puzzling.

Still laughing she opened up the door to find the three stooges staring at her, each shivering. I can't believe they didn't bring coats!

"Hey Joey, Tristen, Duke, the foods in the kitchen."

"Thanks Tea." The three flew through the living room and into the kitchen, not once noticing the four visitors.

"Are they always like that?" Asked a humored Marik.

"Always." Tea and Yami spoke in unison.

Tea looked over to see Trisket sitting on Kaiba's lap. He looked quite comfortable too, just sitting there with Kaiba petting him. She walked over and put her face close to his.

"Traitor." She whispered, but not quiet enough for Kaiba not to hear. She instantly walked away when she saw Kaiba's triumphant face. She stomped over to the kitchen to check on Joey and the others.

"Where's she going?" Asked Ishizu.

Yami smiled and looked at Kaiba. "Probably to get more cats, she got five of them."

Kaiba gulped, he did not want to repeat the pain the last cat had inflicted, especially four more times. Just then the doorbell rang again, remembering what happened last time Tea went to answer the door, he rushed to get it. Standing there was a 5 foot 6 woman in a purple suit with blonde hair. Kaiba immediately recognized her as one of Wealers friends.

"Did I like, come to the wrong house or something?" She asked.

"Yes you did, now go away." He tried to shut the door but Tea's hand stopped him. She then pushed him out of the way and let her friend in.

"Hey Mia, what's up? Oh Serenity, you're here too? So I guess your dates didn't go as planned?"

Mia went and sat down on the floor next to the fire. "The jerk stood me up. Can you believe it? Here I am going out of my way to try and trust somebody and he doesn't show, I waited two hours for that guy at that Caesar's Garden restaurant. That's it, I'm never talking to another man again. Their all just asses."

"Um, Mia?" Tea looked at her friend with a blank expression. "Weren't you suppose to meet him at Olive Garden?"

"Shit!" Mia quickly got up and raced over to the phone immediately dialing the mans number.

"Serenity, what about you?" She asked politely.

"Oh, well, I broke up with him, I mean, he was so last week. Joey in the kitchen? I need a ride home. You know, now that I think about it, how did they practice in the snow?"

"Probably did running and catching in the gym." Tea put her hand up to her head, it still hurt. She needed to get some aspirin.

Soon Joey, Tristen and Duke walked over into the living room. That's when it happened. "Bat he bell id be oing beer?" Asked Joey while pointing at Kaiba, his mouth still loaded with food.

Everyone looked at him questioningly.

Tristen decided to save his friend from total embarrassment. "He asked, 'what the hell is he doing here?'"

It was at that moment that Joey started threatening Kaiba and challenging him to duels. Kaiba just threw back sarcastic comments about dogs, once aging throwing Joey into another rage. Duke and Tristen were currently holding Joey back from trying to strangle Kaiba while Yami was trying to talk some since into him. Serenity started crying out of fear that her brother might get hurt, and then she wouldn't be able to go places with him. I mean, she was popular, she couldn't be seen with a guy who was beat up.

Ishizu and Marik on the other hand just watched Tea. They watched her cover her ears and then slowly move her hands to her head, massaging her temples. Duke and Mia had also turned around and saw it happen, and to say the least they were worried.

Tea slowly started to take a few steps over to the door until her feet and her head just wouldn't function properly. She was falling, she clamped her eyes shut until she realized that she should have hit the floor by now. She opened them to see dark blue eyes staring back at her light blue ones. She looked closer to see a flash of emotion flow through them. It seemed to be a mixture of fear, concern, surprise and was that relief?

She quickly jumped out of her savior's arms all to late realizing she had been saved by Seto Kaiba. He must have realized what had happened because he blinked a few times and then sat back down in his seat, staring into the fire.

She looked around to see all of her friends basically frozen in time just staring at her. "Are you ok Tea?" Asked a concerned Yami.

"Um, ya, I just have a little headache and it hasn't been the best of days, I guess all the noise got to me. There's some aspirin upstairs, I think I'll go get it now." She walked up the stairs leaving the group to come to their own conclusion. Trisket jumped off the armchair Kaiba had been sitting in a quickly followed his master.

"That was weird?" Said a now disturbed Serenity. "I've never seen Tea act like that, I mean, she's always so helpful and lively. I never would have guessed that she had a headache let alone a bad day."

Joey nodded. "I know, sometimes I forget that she human. I mean, she's always there for us."

"You know, she's had a lot of headaches lately." Yami looked at he others to make sure they wanted him to continue. Kaiba was the only one that didn't ask him to. "What I mean is, that for a while I've noticed that she's had them. She keeps on spacing out and I know I've seen more than one bottle of aspirin in her trash."

Mia and Duke just looked at each other then at Marik and Ishizu. The two pairs knew something, they each knew the other two had and idea, how much was the real question.

Kaiba looked down at his foot when he felt a paw on his leg. There stood Trisket meowing at him. Kaiba just ignored the cat a tried to discreetly listen to what Yami was saying. He didn't know why by he was interested. But the cat just kept on meowing and finally bit Kaiba's pant leg. The cat tried to pull him over to the stairs.

Ishizu saw this and looked at Kaiba. "I think he wants you to follow."

"I'm not going to do what some stupid cat tells me to do." He argued.

The cat then clawed his leg. "You know Kaiba, animals have been around a long time, they see things we don't. Cats are in fact suppose to be the most intelligent of all the animals, you should trust him." She said very calmly.

"Fine, I'll go, but only to ask Gardner if she has a bandage. Her stupid cat cut me." He then headed up the stairs, Trisket closely behind him. He than saw more cats, three, they looked like kittens. They were meowing for him to come over. Then there was another one, this was getting weird. He looked over to the bathroom door and saw a dog, looked like a husky, he was whimpering.

Kaiba turned into the bathroom about to yell at Gardner for having weird pets when he saw her lying on the floor. Her hair was spread out over her face and her body was twisted which gave off the look that she had fainted. In her hand was a bottle of aspirin that hadn't even been opened yet.

"Ishizu!" He screamed. "Call 911, we need an ambulance, fast!"


	2. The beginnings of Discovering

Firevixen73-

Hey everyone. I just realized that I didn't do that whole disclaimer thing. So here it goes, I don't own Yu-gi-oh and all that other stuff. I don't own the stories or the characters, only what I make up. Ya, that's it. And thanks for the reviews and for the help on Kaiba and Mai's name, I felt like I was spelling them wrong. Here's the next chapter, hope you like. R&R

Tea looked around to find herself standing outside of a restaurant. Through the window she could smell the after smells of the food. It was absolutely wonderful, homemade bread, croissants, steaks, pasta; it was all there, leaving Tea with a calming sensation. After a few more minutes of tranquility Tea decided to take a step back and have a closer inspection of the beat-up building.

It was an old brick two-story building with wooden shutters attached to the windows, banging against the side of the bricks, due to the strong wind. It had graffiti written all over it with multiple gang logo's inscribed on its worn out walls. She unexpectedly heard a loud noise come from one of the windows and she quickly turned around to see that one of the shutters hinges had fallen off, causing the whole shutter to fall down onto the cold sidewalk.

Tea just smiled to herself, and then walked over to the once usable piece of wood. She crouched down, tucking her knees into her chest and reached out to grab it. It wasn't anything fancy, in all honesty it was probably the cheapest type you could find. She was surprised it wasn't hand made, but then again, she remembered who she was thinking about.

"Now, I know I told Mickey to fix this. But no, he just never listens, now he's going to have to pay double. I guess that's what he gets for being cheap." She sighed and then pushed herself back up once again in a standing position. Tea tucked the shutter under her arm and walked over to the door. When she reached out and pulled the knob she discovered that it was locked. She tried again but it didn't budge. Tea started knocking, trying to get someone's attention but apparently no one was there. She turned back around when a blast of cold air swept by her, leaving goose bumps on her skin.

It was cold, very cold. So here she was, in the middle of down town New York with no coat and not a taxi in sight. This was just great, could it get any worse? She suddenly felt something very cold and very wet land on her face. Then another fell on her shoulder. She looked up to see little flakes of snow slowly making their way down to her.

"Why did I ask that? I mean really, that basically asking god for a tornado to hit your house."

More snow came, infact, it was coming down hard, extremely hard. Tea crouched down on the ground not knowing where to go. Mickey wasn't home and she had no clue where Cassandra or Vicky were, or any of her other friends for that matter, and even if she did, she would have to walk there.

Tea then saw something red fall in front of her face. She looked around to see a dark red spot in the snow. It looked like snow, but it was red. Suddenly another one fell down next to her. She was sure of it, it was red snow. But how was that possible, that just didn't happen? More and more came down until the ground was covered. Tea was officially freaked now, but nearly went suicidal when a large black dragon flew not three feet in front of her. Then another creature came, only this one was heading strait for her. If she didn't move fast it would without a doubt kill her. The large beats opened its mouth, showing it's large teeth. He then roared and stretched out his claws into an attack position still heading strait for her.

Tea jumped over to the other end of the sidewalk landing on her stomach, knocking the wind completely out of her. When she finally regained her scenes she slowly rolled over on her back. She checked her body for damages to find some scrapes and bruises on her elbows and knees, but that was pretty much it. What really made her want to scream were her clothes. Somehow they had been all torn up and had somehow been drenched in what looked like red and black blood. It covered her entire form, sticking to her hair and face, drenching her clothes.

Tea tried to scream but couldn't, her voice wouldn't work. She tried to cry, but the tears wouldn't come out. She couldn't make her body respond to anything she wanted it to do. Then she heard a loud noise behind her, it sounded like heavy breathing. Finally regaining control of her body she carefully turned around. When she did she found herself eye to eye with the same black dragon she had seen earlier.

He was big, extremely big. She was right about the color too, he was black with a small glaze of purple that covered his entire form. All except for his eyes, his eyes were a hazily red color that had different shades of red swirling within them. Maroon, crimson, scarlet, ruby, burgundy, it could go on forever, they were so captivating. Then she realized it; this was a read eyes black dragon! Joey's favorite card! But how was he here, with her?

She was unknowingly gathering up air in her lungs for a scream that would cause a ban chi to run, until something unexpected happened.

"I'm so glad I found you in time." The Read Eye's huffed through his pain.

She looked down to see a large gash in his side were blood was slowly dripping out.

"You're needed." He stated plainly. Then his eyes started to glow, the ruby specks that were once there started to overpower all the other colors that were once there. Soon, ruby was all she could see, and it slowly faded everything out of Tea's vision until she was completely blinded and forced to close her eyes.

Tea woke with a loud thump closely followed by cold hard stone hitting her face.

"Ow!" She yelled while trying to move her hand up to her cheek to rub it, only to find out that she couldn't. She was completely engulfed in a sea of blankets that currently felt like preventing any type of movement. After about five minutes of struggling with the lifeless object she had finally managed to wiggle her arms free. She quickly grabbed the remaining sheets and pulled them off her feet. Finally succeeding she ran her fingers up to her hair.

It was a habit she developed some years back, it used to be so soothing running her hands through her long hair. Well, that was when it was still long; she cut it about a year ago, right before she moved to Domino City. She brushed her fingers through her hair once again finally stopping at her waist. Wait? Waist? My hair doesn't go down to my waist.

She immediately opened her eyes and went strait for her hair. "It's long! But, how, I mean it wasn't like this last night?"

Then she noticed her clothes, they were defiantly not hers, they looked like something Ishizu would wear. She was also wearing gold jewelry. She had gold earrings and a pure gold necklace on. Tea immediately sat up to cheek her mirror only to find, she wasn't in her room. Instead of her own bed there was a large feather one with silk sheets and a sheer canopy over it. The canopy started at the ceiling and draped over the bed until they reached the walls where they were once again connected. Oh, and did she mention that the walls were stone! Buildings were not made out of stone; they were made out of wood, not stone! She tried screaming in her mind.

She quickly turned away from the bed desperately trying to force herself that this was all a dream, but when she turned around she got a whole other surprise. Instead of her stereo there was a large dresser made out of rock that had been polished and detailed to perfection. It was intertwined with gold markings and diamonds that were outlining what looked to be a mirror.

She turned around again this time over to what was once her computer to see a beautiful balcony. It was absolutely gorgeous. It couldn't be less then 8 feet wide. She walked over to it and looked outside.

The rays of the sun blasted on her face, giving her a warming sensation. She looked down to see people, a large city from the looks of it and no, it couldn't be, Pyramids! That did it, it was all too much. She stumbled back inside tripping over her feet from walking backwards, still staring out at the balcony with terror etched in her eyes. She fell down and took a large breath.

"Somebody help me! Please! I don't know what's going on, where am I!" Tears stared to form and came pouring down her face. Small puddles of water were forming around her petite frame until she heard a knock at the door. She was frightened to say the least. Tea started screaming even louder. "Get away from me! I want to go home! Take me home NOW!" She then buried her face into her hands not knowing what to do. She was so busy trying to make everything go away that she didn't even heard the door open, or the small footsteps that approached her.

"Anzu, are you ok?" Asked a small voice.

Tea was about to yell at him for entering, well, whatever this place was, and for calling her Anzu when her name was Tea, when it hit her, she knew that voice. It was sweet, innocent and caring. She looked up with her blood shot eyes to see none other then Mokuba.

"Mokuba!" She flung herself into the young boys surprised hands and started crying. "I was so scared, I just woke up and I was here. It's like Ancient Egypt or something because people don't dress like that or just leave golden dressers around without any type of security. I mean, not even your brothers that stupid, and there are pyramids outside. And not the ones that are all old and everything but brand new, like they were made just a few years ago or something and…" She was about to continue when she realized Mokuba hadn't said anything yet. "Um, Mokuba, you gonna say something, because you know me, I'll just keep going."

She looked over at him to see a mixture of shock, confusion and worry on his face. "Um, Mokuba, you ok, you need to lay down or anything?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?" He asked.

She stared at him utterly confused. "Um, because it's your name."

"Um, no it's not."

"Mokuba, your one of my favorite people, how could I not know your name, I mean really, if it's not Mokuba then what is it?" She asked once again confused beyond belief.

"Mekubo. Remember, that's my name. Should I get you a doctor or are you still not willing to see him?"

"Me-ku-bo?" She tried the name on her lips. For some reason it sounded right, but that was wrong, because his name was Mokuba.

The young boy sat up and walked over to Tea's so called bed. "Your still blaming yourself aren't you? How many times have I told you, it's not your fault, you had no choice in this, and barricading yourself up in your room isn't healthy, that's not how to deal with this. It's just going to make you feel worse. All of us are so worried about you, and no body is the same. We're all so miserable and gloomy now; you're our light Anzu and your extinguishing yourself. Even my brothers different, please just come back out and talk to us." He looked up at her pleadingly.

What the hell? What is Mokuba going on about? She's not barricading herself in here, she just got here and she would really like to figure out how too. And what's this about blaming herself for something? And for crying out loud her name is Tea, not Anzu!

"My name is Tea and your name is Mokuba and would you please explain to me what the hell you're talking about?" She asked, in her opinion, quite calmly.

"Anzu! Please don't do this. You're doing it again you blaming yourself about the war and now your making up stories. I can't see you like this." The young boy then sat up and walked out of the room leaving Tea to herself, with a million questions she wanted answered.

She sat down on the thing closes to her which happened to be the bed, thinking about everything Mokuba or Mekubo, well whatever his name was, said. He called her Anzu, said something about a war and wants me to stop blaming myself about something.

She flew her entire body down onto the bed, thrusting her head into the pillow. "I'm confused." She sighed and turned around so her face was looking up at the ceiling. "You know, this is a really comfortable bed. Who ever this Anzu person is has got it made."

Tea then sat back up, determination etched into her face. "Well, I guess I'm just going to have to figure out what's going on for myself." She quickly rushed out of the room before fear kicked in.

Tea turned a corner full force desperately trying to ignore the loud voice in her head that was telling her to turn around, and because she wasn't paying attention she ran into something or rather, someone. Tea opened her eyes to see an old woman who looked to be a maid of some sort on the ground, linens spread all around her. She immediately got up to help the old woman.

"I'm so sorry! I really didn't see you. You know when your mind kind of goes on a one-way track, well, that happened. Is there anything I can do? I feel really bad." Tea reached put and grabbed the woman hand and pulled her up. "Are you ok? Your not hurt are you?" She smiled and scratched her head trying to avoid the guilty feeling that was rising.

"Lady Anzu?"

Tea still stood there until she realized that that was who everyone thought she was. "What? Oh right that's me, now, you're not hurt are you?"

"Oh Lady Anzu! It's so wonderful to see you. Everyone has been so worried. No one in the castle is the same." Tea looked over at the psychotic woman. "I mean really, we've had two full moons since you've left your room, the only people who get a glimpse of you are Mekubo or Harpy. You even turned Pharaoh Yami away. I'm just so happy." The woman smiled even wider, if at all possible.

Tea was shocked. She didn't know what to say, which was new, she always had something to say, it was just whether or not she said it or not, and somehow she could just never keep it in when stupid Kaiba was around. Stupid, spoiled, multi-billion dollar him. Why was she thinking about him anyway, it was just going to make her messed up day worse. Well, he was usually nicer to her when Yami or Joey was around, well, that was because he was usually trying to humiliate them instead of her. Wait? Did she say Pharaoh Yami?

She looked up to see the old woman still smiling at her, ya that was kind of creepy. "Um, did you say Pharaoh Yami?"

"Yes. I really have to finish my duties or it's my job but it was so wonderful to see you today. Please say you'll stay out? I don't have to many more things to do, maybe we could talk later? I remember how you used to pull random workers from their work and just sit and talk with them. I remember how people would constantly wish that you would choose them. Please say we can do that?" Asked the woman.

"Um, ok, if you really want, though I wouldn't know what to say."

"It's ok, can it be tomorrow out at the big fountain about mid afternoon? We could have snacks?"

"Um, ok."

The old woman squealed, which in Tea's opinion was weird because she's never heard a late forty year-old woman squeal. "Um, what's you name, just so I know?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry my Lady, it's Mira."

"Well that's a pretty name, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Mira turned around, a newly found bounce in her step, she then turned the corner disappearing from Tea's view. Tea shook her head. "Now how did I get myself into this mess? For some reason I couldn't tell her no, I mean really, it's not like I plan on staying here, once I figure out where here is. Shoot, I didn't even ask her any questions either." She contemplated following Mira but decided against it, realizing she had no idea where she went.

Tea had no idea where she was; she had decided to follow her feet, wherever they might wander. Well, never do that. She was lost, utterly and completely lost. Taking a right turn she saw that she was outside and there were hundreds of people about. "Now I really feel lost." She then felt a tug on her skirt, she looked down to see a small four-year-old girl holding on to her. "Um, yes?"

The little girl pulled her thumb out of her mouth. "Lady Anzu?"

Tea laughed inwardly. Wow, this Anzu chick sure was popular, and from the looks of it, had everyone really worried. "Yes." I better just go with it for now Tea resolved.

The little girls face turned into a large grin. "I don't believe it, it's really you!" The small child then grabbed Tea's leg and gave it a hug bear hug, so hard that Tea could no longer keep her balance soon falling over, leaving her and the small girl on the ground. Though the girl didn't seem to care at all, she just seemed happy to have her Anzu back.

"I'm so happy." The girls squealed out. "You've been gone for so long! And then I got lost and it was scary. I remember thinking how I needed help and the next thing I know and you're here! So, can you help me find my mommy and daddy?"

Tea didn't now what to say. She had no idea where she was, who this girl was and was somewhat confused about her own identity at the moment, but when she looked up into the small child's deep chocolate brown eye's there was no way she could refuse. "Alright, though, I haven't been out lately so I really don't 'remember' where anything is."

"That's ok, you're here, that's all I need, it makes me feel safe."

The girl then jumped up on Tea's back ready for the journey to find her parents. Tea smiled and moved the girl around so she could carry her easier and they started off.

Tea in all honesty had no idea where she was but luckily she had a good guide. The small child, who's name she had learned to be Gem, was extremely talkative and seemed to know her way around for the most part, she was just really insecure.

"Um, I think it's this way. Wait, no it might be this way." This had been going on for a while, every time Gem thought she knew something she would change her mind, which wasn't good, especially considering that her first choice seemed to be right.

"You know, I've learned that your first thought usually happens to be right on these type of things. It's just when you think of what could go wrong that other answers start forming, so tell me Gem, what's your first instinct?"

"Um, to the right, that was what I first thought."

"To the right it is." Tea marched over to the right and turned the corner to hear Gem squeal in delight.

"Lady Anzu, it's my home, it's my home. Mommy and daddy are probably waiting for me inside. She ran over to the door then finally noticed that her traveling partner was not with her. She turned around confused. "Lady Anzu, what are you doing? Aren't you going to come in?"

"What? Me? No, I don't know your family or anything and I'm sure they're busy." She stuttered out.

"What are you talking about? Everybody loves you, and they will all be so happy to see you." Gem then grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the door silently pushing it open. "Mamma, daddy, you here?" Suddenly a woman came from around the corner and dropped the plate she was caring.

"Gem? Oh, Gem we have been looking for you all day. How did you find your way back? You're not hurt are you? Gem you had me so worried. Luckily we ran into Lord Tori and he agreed to help us. I'm so happy your home!" Said Gems mother holding her small girl in a bear hug, similar to the one Tea had received earlier.

"Mamma, you'll never guess who helped me. It was Lady Anzu! Look mamma." Gem's mother looked over at Tea and gasped.

"My Lady!" She quickly bowed and looked back up at Tea. "Thank you so much. You have my full gratitude. I was sure she was lost, and I am so glad to see you out and about again. It makes me almost as happy as my daughter's safe return. Please stay and celebrate with us."

"Um, I really don't know, I should really be returning and well…" She started but never got to finish due to a sudden interruption.

"Anzu?"

Tea, starting to get used to the name, turned around to find none other then Tristen standing in front of her, wide eyed and mouth gapping, with bread crumbs all over his shirt. Well, whatever world this was, Tristen hadn't changed a bit, she tried her hardest to suppress a laugh. Lets see, they said Lord Tori before right? So, I'm guessing that Tristen in Tori. Man this was confusing.

"Yes Tori?" She tried her hardest to sound sophisticated but it just came out in small giggles.

A huge grin spread across his face, he then ran up to he and picked her up enclosing her in a huge hug. When he finally let go Tea had to take a few minutes to catch her breath, but not being able to breath was not a concept to the man in front of her, he immediately started talking.

"I don't believe it Anzu, you're actually out. So did Jyo's and my threats to break down the door finally get to you? Sure it's stone and all, not to mention that spell you put on it to not let anyone enter who you didn't want to, but we would have found a way."

Tea just laughed. "No, more like the please of a small gem I found in town. It was so sad, it was just left there on the ground by itself. I couldn't just leave it there. Especially this one, it was just to beautiful, inside and out." She looked down at the small girl clutching to her mother and gave a wink, causing the girl to blush from embarrassment.

Tea then looked up at the mother. "She's really precious, you have done a wonderful job raising her. I'm sorry to say that Tori and I really need to get going. Maybe I can stop by another time?"

"Of course my Lady, any day at all."

"Thank you." She then headed for the door. "You coming?"

Tori practically sprinted towards the door, a grin still plastered on his face. They waved good-bye and headed home.

"I really am glad your out, it's been so long Anzu. You've really had everybody worried, and depressed, nothing has been the same." Said Tori very seriously, which was odd because Tristen was never serious, it wasn't something she was used to. Tea was about to asked Tori the millions of questions that had been plaguing her mind when he spoke instead.

"I know it hasn't been easy Anzu, especially for you, you are a Guardian after all, and a lot of the monsters who died were your friends, oh great, here I go, reminding you of everything you've been trying to forget."

"No, please do tell." He looked at her questioningly. She needed a good excuse now. "It's just, if I ever want to truly get past it all, I need to accept it, and if I'm trying to suppress it, how can I get past it?"

"Um, ok. What I was saying is that this war between you and your brother, it's not just about you, or Yami, or Seth. It's about the freedom of every creature you've met or haven't met. You are so important Anzu, if the enemy ever found out that you weren't up to the challenge or didn't have enough mental stability to handle your powers, we would probably all be dead. I can't imagine what would happen if he had attacked when you weren't by our side, there is not doubt that we would all be dead. Humans and monsters alike. I'm just so happy that your back, not only for the worlds sake, but for your own as well." He pulled her into another hug. "You had us all so worried."

All right, it was official; she couldn't tell anyone that she wasn't this Anzu person anymore. She had been planning on telling this look alike Tristen but now that was out. He had said that if the enemy, which is supposedly Anzu's brother, ever found out all these people would be killed. She couldn't let that happen. I mean, if finding out that another person, who has no clue what's going on, is inhabiting your enemy's body isn't leverage than nothing is. From the looks of it, people and monsters had been dieing and Anzu was blaming herself so she locked herself up in her room. So that would mean duel monsters were real. Well, that explains the whole Red Eye's Black Dragon thing in her dream, but what was this about being some type of Guardian? She was about to ask when Tori suddenly stopped.

"Well, this is your room. I kind of don't want you to go back in there, how will I know you'll come back out."

Had they really walked this far already? Darn it, she didn't pay attention to what ways they turned either. Well, maybe she'll wake up in her own body and own time. She could only hope. She looked back up at her friend. "You don't know, all you have is my word, do you trust that?"

He gave another grin. "It's never let me down before, don't start now."

She then turned and walked into 'her' supposed room and opened up the dresser to find what looked like silk nightgowns. She slipped one on and dived under the thin sheets. That was one thing her and Anzu had in common, no matter how warm it was, she had to have sheets, it was a security thing. Tea closed her eyes and quickly fell into a peaceful bliss of sleep.

Yugi looked over at the door that they had wheeled Tea into. By the time the ambulance had come everyone had been up to the bathroom to see, Joey tried to walk over but Kaiba had gotten in the way saying that if she had a concussion or something it would just make it worse if she was moved without professional care.

Yugi had rode in the ambulance with her while Kaiba, after about 20 minutes of coaxing, finally agreed to take everybody else. Yugi knew he would never forget the look on Kaiba's face when he was told that he was going to be sharing a drive down to the hospital with Joey. Man, Tea would have loved to see that.

Tea, he hoped that she was ok.

"Oh, please don't let anything be wrong with her."

Suddenly Yami appeared before him. _"Don't worry Yugi, she'll be alright, this is Tea we're talking about."_

Both duelists turned around when they heard a loud crash from behind them. They saw Joey and Tristen sprawled out on the floor and a smirk plastered on Kaiba's face.

"Gees Wheeler, I knew you were a dog, just not a three legged one."

"Shut-up moneybags!" Joey jumped back up only to have his left foot land on one of the objects that he had crashed into previously, once again falling flat on his face.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and walked over to Yugi. "The rest of your friends are all on their way up. I'm gone." He then turned back around and headed for the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Asked Yugi.

"What, you think I'm staying? Ok, maybe you didn't notice this but Gardner and I aren't friends. I have no reason to stay. I only drove your pathetic squad over here because that damn dog of hers looked like it was going to attack if I said no. Like I said, I'm out."

"Seto!"

Yugi and Kaiba both turned around to see Mokuba running towards them. "Mokuba, what are you doing here?" Asked a for once surprised Kaiba.

"Mai called and said Tea was being rushed to the hospital, I had to come, she's like a big sister to me." He said frantically.

"How do you know little miss bimbo free the whales cheerleader?" Asked his now impatient brother, while both Yugi and Yami sat by watching, utterly amused.

"Seto! How can you say that about Tea? She's the nicest person ever, well unless you get on her bad side. I remember once she took me out for ice cream and this guy came out and tried to attack us, man, she beat the living daylights out of that creep." He started doing hand motions as if he was in a Jackie Chan movie. "Seriously, Jackie Chan's got nothing on Tea." He looked back up to see two bewildered faces.

"Ok, what are you talking about Mokuba?" Asked Yami, who being interested in Mokuba's story decided to borrow Yugi's body.

"I mean she totally kicked his but, literally, right into the trash can."

The two looked at him still bewildered, same thing on both of their minds. What the hell was Mokuba talking about? Tea doesn't do violence. She's peaceful and thinks that you should talk things out and become friends, not kick somebody's ass.

Yami decided to disregard it for the time being. He didn't know Tea spent time with Mokuba. "So what's this about Tea being like a sister?"

"Oh, that, well, every time Seto would be to busy because of work I'd run off to try to make him worry but I always came back. Finally one night I ran into Tea, I told her I needed to get away and she offered her place to stay. Ever since then I always go over there. She helps me with homework, friends, girls and always takes me out to parks and stuff."

"She does what? How come I didn't know about this? And since when do you run off?" Asked a very pissed Kaiba.

"Since about six months ago, and like I said, you were always to busy." Said Mokuba plainly. "But that's why I had to come. I can't loose her, she's to important." Tears started to form in his eye's threatening to fall.

Yami walked over to him and gave him a reassuring smile. "You know, the others are probably down stairs trying to figure out where Tea is, do you think you can go get them?"

"Ya, ok, but you'll tell me what the doctors said if they come while I'm gone right?" Yami nodded, so Mokuba practically ran down the hall trying to find Tea's friends so he could get back sooner. Yami turned around to see Kaiba sitting down on one of the chairs.

"I thought you were leaving?" He asked somewhat quickly.

"I was, but Mokuba would never forgive me if I left now, besides, I hate owing people." He said not even looking up.

"I do wonder though. What's killing you more, the fact that Mokuba has tried to run away or that it was Tea who took care of him and obviously convinced him to come back."

Yami didn't get a response but the look of Kaiba's face told him to drop it. Yami went and sat down on his own chair, a few seats away from Kaiba's.

Seto couldn't believe it, not only had he been neglecting his brother so bad that he had tried to run away multiple times, but Gardner had been the one to bring him back. Had he really been that busy that he didn't even notice his brother's unhappiness? Why had Gardner done it anyways? They hated each other, that was for sure, they couldn't even be in the same room without some type of insult flying. They were complete opposites. They had nothing in common, so why had she helped out with Mokuba. No one does anything out of the goodness of their hearts. If he knew one thing, that was it, so why?

Kaiba's thoughts were interrupted by the approach of a doctor.

"Are you two family of Miss Tea Gardner?" She asked politely.

"No, just friends." Said Yami. He looked over at Kaiba. "Well, sort of."

"Oh, well could you please get her parents for me? I need to talk to them."

Kaiba decided to intervene. There were perks of being the CEO of Kaiba Corp; in fact he probably owned this very hospital. He cleared his throat to get her attention. The doctor looked over and gasped, immediately recognizing him for who he was.

"I'm a very busy person so can you speed it up and tell us what's going on?" He practically demanded.

"Yes Sir, it seems as if Miss Gardner has slipped into a coma, we don't exactly know what caused it though. She didn't have any abnormalities in her blood system, just some traces of aspirin, but nothing that could cause what happened. She had no injuries or cell damage. I did some checking up to find that she has recently been in lately for headaches so I figured that that could have something to do with it but everything reads normal. We honestly don't know what's wrong."

"You have absolutely no clue." Asked Yami.

"I'm sorry, all we can figure is that it's a emotional issue that could have possibly been resurfaced. Has anything unusual happened lately, something perhaps to do with friends, family or work?"

"I don't know, she doesn't ever talk about work, or any of her other friends, and in all honesty I've never really met her parents." Yami looked down at the floor not believing what he was saying; yet it was true. He didn't know any of Tea's family, she never talked about them and he had never asked. Sure some of her other friends would occasionally say hi, but other then that nothing. And work, he had no idea where she worked, last place he knew was at the fast food place.

"Well we should contact her parents then, I'm sure that they will want to know what's going on. Do either of you know their cell or anything?" She asked.

Both shook their heads.

"Alright." The doctor walked over to the nearest computer and typed in Tea's name. She frowned and typed it in again. She frowned again.

"Something wrong?" Asked Yami. He frowned too, wondering why Kaiba hadn't said anything, sure Tea and him weren't friends but he could at least be a little concerned.

"It her name, I'm not getting anything. All I get is her date of birth, address, what school she attends, her work, phone number and name. Nothing else, no parents names, no grandparents, no special contact, nothing."

Firevixen73- Sorry about the gothic beginning but it played a pert in the whole war and Anzu blaming herself thing. So, I hope everybody likes it.


	3. A secret life

Firevixen73-Hey everyone, sorry it took so long to update. For a while I forgot I had this story and then my life got really hectic. Here it is everyone, hope you like.

Tea sat on the silk bed sheets that were currently wrapped around her body. She was hoping to wake up and find this whole world a dream, no such luck there. She sighed and threw herself back onto the pillow. What was she going to do? She was in this strange Egyptian world where nothing made since. Sure all her friends seemed to be there, but only partly. From what she could gather, Yugi wasn't the only one with a past self, it seemed as if they were all part of the pharos story. And there was something else about a war?

Supposedly this war was a big deal and the only reason they hadn't been attacked was because the enemy was afraid of this Anzu, the woman whose body she currently inhabited. Mekubo seemed like another version of Mokuba as well, same with the look alike Tristen, what was his name again? Torrid, Torsi, Tori? Tori! That was it. So, if he was here that meant probably everyone else was here.

"Damn." She slowly sat back up. There was no way she could tell anyone she wasn't this Anzu. If the so-called enemy ever found out he would pulverize this entire city. But what if he attacks anyway? She would have no clue what to do, she didn't even know what Anzu did let alone how to do it. Well, that was just a chance she was going to have to take, and maybe she could figure out what to do along the way? That was just how it was going to have to be.

Tea quickly jumped out of bed and rushed over to the dresser next to her and pulled out a beautiful outfit. It was the same type of material that Ishizu would wear but more elegant. This was actually a skirt. It settled gracefully on her hips showing off her flat and muscular stomach, which had a matching halter-top that stopped about 2 ½ inches above her stomach. It had the same fabric attached from her middle fingers to the back of her neck where the top tied together that trailed elegantly a few inches from the floor.

It was absolutely beautiful and Tea loved everything about it. After putting it on she walked over to the diamond embedded dresser and pulled out a what Tea finally managed to categorize as a hair clip, after finally managing to put it in she took a step back and looked at herself in the mirror. After a quick inspection she opened up her door and stepped outside into the hallway ready to be someone else.

That didn't last long, when she saw a maid struggling with a basket of laundry she immediately ran over to help the poor woman. Right before she woman tripped Tea managed to grab the basket and steady the woman. The woman finally looked up and when she did her eyes nearly came out of her sockets.

"Lady Anzu! I don't believe it, there were rumors that you were about but I didn't believe them. I'm so glad that they are true!"

Meanwhile Tea was mentally hitting herself for acting like that. She just ran over and helped the woman, second nature or not, she didn't know how this Anzu did things. Maybe she was really mean and never helped out the help, or was a pushover. If she acts at all out of character it could be the end. Tea looked up to see the woman's vibrant and expectant eyes staring back at her. Damn, she had totally missed what the woman had said. "I'm sorry, what did you say, I was temporarily distracted."

The woman smiled even larger, if at all possible, which slightly reminded her of Gem, the little girl she met last night. "That is so like you my Lady. Your so sweet and kind, and always honest, never caring about status at all. Yet somehow always manages to dose off. I asked if you were feeling better? I mean it has been a while. I know everyone in the temple misses you."

"Um, I'm feeling a lot better thank you. So, question, am I pretty much nice to everyone I meet? Status isn't an issue with me?" She asked, knowing full well how stupid that sounded.

The woman gave her a weird smirk, indicating her confusion. "Um, yes, that's one of the reasons why we all love you so much, but, why are you asking such questions about yourself, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I um, was just wondering how others thought of me." Great one Tea, now everyone's going to think your some type of nut! Well at least I know more about Anzu and how to act like her. In all honesty she sounds a lot like me, but heaven knows I have my own reasons for treating everyone as equals. I mean, I've lived in pretty much all the social standing classes there are, I know what pressures people go through just trying to make it through the day. I wonder what Anzu's story is? If I'm her, then I wonder if they're at all similar?

She looked up to her knew found friend starting to pack up her stuff preparing to leave. "Wait!"

The woman looked up questioningly.

"I was wondering, I'm already meeting one of the other maids outside for lunch today by the fountain, and a small girl as well, would you like to join us?"

"Oh, my Lady! I would love to, I have a lot of work to do, with Lord Darus arriving today, but I'm sure I could work around it, especially for you my Lady." The woman quickly bowed and scurried away, obviously wanting to finish her work in order to spare enough time for a long lunch.

Tea sighed to herself once again, she had been doing that a lot lately. She took a quick stroll down the hall until she made her way outside, only in wasn't the town, it was a large garden. It had every type of flower that she could have ever imagined. Wait! She looked closer at a blue and white one. That was extinct in her time. It was so beautiful. She continued to walk around until she came across a large fountain.

"So this is what Mira was talking about. Good, I was wondering how I was going to find it. This place is just so big." She sat down next to it and continued her view over the flowers. As she was looking she couldn't help but wonder what was going on in her own time. Was everyone safe, worried, was she safe, what had happened to her body if her soul and mind were here? I wonder if they tried to look up my records, that would be a laugh. Can't imagine their faces when they find nothing. Joey would kill me, though I don't think Mai would care, she seems like the type of person with her own history and reasons for coming to Domino City.

Tea suddenly felt something rub against her arm and quickly turned around. Before her stood a beautiful woman, only she wasn't quite a woman. She had beautiful pink hair that cascaded down to the ground and a flower for a hat sitting on her head. She also had deep blue eyes that reminded her of pure, clean and fresh water. "May, I um, help you?" She asked, still startled by the woman's strange appearance.

"Hello my Lady." The woman said softly while giving a small laugh. "It is more like what can I do for you?" She gave a slight bow. "Mistress of the Gardens at your service."

Mistress of the what? Wasn't that a duel card? Wait, that meant this woman was a duel monster! How could this be, they were cards, but here she was walking around like a normal human. Lets see, Mistress of the Gardens is an earth card, meaning she can enhance the amount of power the ground can give other earth monsters. That means that she's probably the reason these flowers have grown so beautifully, she takes care of them!

"Um no, I was just admiring your handy work, they are very beautiful." She replied calmly, hoping she was right in her assumption.

"Thank you my Lady, I'm glad to see my flowers interest you, then again they always did. Though, they haven't been growing as well as I would have liked them to ever since you left to your room those many weeks ago, but I'm sure they will be doing much better now." Mistress bowed once more and then turned to continue her work.

Wow, this Anzu is really lucky. She has all these people who care about her, I don't understand how she could have locked herself up in her room like that. All these people, monster or human, obviously do much better when she is around, I wonder if she knows how locking herself up affects those around her?

Tea suddenly heard a growl sound and looked down at the cause, her stomach. It was then that she realized that she hadn't eaten and was in fact quite hungry. "Guess it's time to get lost trying to find the kitchen." She quickly sat up prepared for her scavenger hunt.

Yami sat in his bed, recapping last night events. The doctor stated that Tea was almost non-existent according to records. This was unbelievable, Yugi and him sat at Tea's house for almost the whole night waiting for Tea's parents to show up, but no one ever did. The only plausible cause that he could figure was that her parents were on a business trip or something, yet, at the same time that didn't feel right. Luckily the doctor gave him the address of her work, maybe they would know something.

He quickly jumped out of Yugi's bed, grateful that Yugi realized he was batter suited to figure this out. Yugi had fallen asleep waiting for Tea's family way before Yami was even tired. Yami also knew his way around Domino better than Yugi, which was strange considering Yugi had been there much longer. So Yami continued to get dressed still thinking of his counter part. He had taken Tea's coma pretty seriously, it was hitting him hard, he could barely manage the will to switch places with him. Which was again, another reason Yami was in control, Yugi was to heart broken to face the troubles of the world.

It hit Yami hard too, which is why he needed to figure things out. He was a man of action, possibly if he found out more about Tea and her life outside the group he could fix it and bring Tea back, which in truth was the only thing that was keeping him moving.

After getting dressed Yami walked downstairs to the game shop, grateful that Yugi's grandfather had been kind enough not to ask all that many questions. After arriving down stairs he looked up to see none other then Mokuba Kaiba sitting in one of the lounge chairs waiting for him. He looked up and ran over.

"Yugi!"

Yami gave a slight smile. "No, Yami."

"What?" He asked.

"Just go with it, it's to hard to explain."

"Um, alright Yami. I came over to talk to you about Tea." Yami could see the young boys eyes starting to water, but he quickly pushed them aside, determined to continue. "Well, you see, about three months ago she gave me a key to her house, saying that if I ever needed anything and she wasn't home to just come in. I figured after we stop off at her work we could check out her house and talk about what we know about her, maybe that way we can figure some of this out. You know, like a puzzle."

"That's a great idea Mokuba, but are you sure you want to come?"

"Positive." He said through a snuffle. "I have to know what's going on."

"Alright lets go then."

Suddenly there was a large banging noise as none other then Seto Kaiba came busting through the game shop door, worry plastered on his face. He scanned the room, noticing it's two occupants, frowning as he saw them. "Mokuba, what do you think your doing? I have been looking for you everywhere."

"Seto, I'm going to help Yami figure out what's wrong with Tea." He stated matter exactly.

"No your not." Kaiba said, stoic face back on. "She is not out concern, we're going home now."

"No."

"Mokuba, we are leaving."

"Maybe you are but I'm not. Tea is my best friend and if I can help at all I'm going to."

"She is not our concern, let her dorky friends figure it out."

"So your telling me that Tea's weird past holds absolutely no interest to you what so ever? You don't consider it odd that her parents haven't come wondering where their daughter is, why there is no information on her?"

"Listen…"

"No, Tea's my friend, and if you ever want me talking to you again, you'll help us figure this out. Besides, if Tea isn't there to make sure I don't run away for good, who's going to stop me?"

Kaiba was speechless, Mokuba had never argued with him before. He was defiantly hanging out with Gardner too much, that was for sure; he recognized that same defiant look. Not to mention, it was true, what if Mokuba did try to run away again? If Gardner had been the one to stop him before and there was no longer any Gardner who knows what would happen. He gave a slight growl and looked up at his brother's expectant eyes. "Fine, I'll help, but let me make this clear, I have absolutely no desire to be doing this."

Mokuba gave a vibrant smile and ran over to hug his brother, but Kaiba remained ridged, not believe how he had been suckered into helping, not just anyone, but Tea Gardner.

Tori sat in the throne room listening to everyone argue. He had told them about Anzu and how she had been out just last night, but they were still skeptical. As much as they wanted to believe that Anzu was better they had already put to much faith in her self-recovering to believe it just happened over night. He had tried to prove it to, but when they went to her room she wouldn't even answer. The only thing that he had to back him up was Mekubo who mentioned that she was acting strange when he saw her. He was starting to get frustrated. "Why don't you believe me? I really saw her, we talked all the way back home and then I dropped her off at her room."

Yami looked over at him. "It's not that we don't believe you it's just it's been two months since she even stepped foot out of her room, let alone went for a stroll in town. Maybe you were hallucinating or something."

"I was not! It was her, same smile, same cheery voice, same Anzu." He argued.

Jyo sighed and looked over at him. "Tori, Anzu's sudden retreat has hit us all hard," he made a quick glance over at Seth's position, "but we need to face reality, she's not coming out, not until the war is over."

"Agreed." Everyone looked over at Seth. "The mutt is right." Jyo cringed, really wanting to hit the High Priest right now. "Anzu isn't coming out, I admit that her power and influence would be a powerful asset but we are going to have to find another way to win this war. Her solitude spell only lets certain people in, and it wont be long till she blocks even them out."

Suddenly a servant came busting through the door, caring a tray of bread. She seemed in a constant rush. Mekubo walked over to her. "Um, aren't you the servant that is supposed to help with Lord Darus's arrival?"

She looked up and bowed. "Yes I am my Lord."

"So shouldn't you be preparing his room? He will be arriving at about sunset." Said Jyo.

"Yes my Lords, I have already finished that task and am now preparing snacks, rumor has it he enjoys fresh baked bread above most other things, so I am putting them out for when he arrives." She answered calmly.

"You finished already? How is that possible? You would have to be working like crazy to finish. Why are you in such a rush?" Asked King Yami.

"I have a lunch date with a few friends. Do not worry my King, everything is in order and not at all in the slacking. I made sure of it, everyone knows how important this conference is."

Seth gave a scowl. This was a lowly servant and here she was rushing things to fulfill her own wants. That's not how servants were supposed to act.

Suddenly the doors burst open and there stood none other than Anzu Guardian. The whole room seemed to be engulfed in silence. No one made a move, barely even breathed. Here stood the woman who had caused them so much worry. Who they hadn't seen in nearly two months. Seth, Yami and Jyo's mouths all dropped in utter shock and disbelief. Mekubo's face lit up as if heaven had given him it's own light, while Tori sat there, a told you so smile plastered on his face.

Tea had walked into the room hoping someone could tell her where the kitchen was. She had been walking around for hours and still nothing. This place was too big, that was final. When she opened the doors she saw her friends staring back at her. Well, sort of her friends, their past selves. Tea really couldn't figure out why they were staring at her like they were, it was kind of creepy, did she have something on her face?

Shrugging it off she glanced over to see the servant she had met earlier, holding a tray of fresh bread in her hands. A brilliant smile found itself on her face. She quickly ran over, not caring if she looked dignified or not and grabbed one. It was like honey in her mouth. She looked over to her newfound friend and gave a great full look. After chewing she took the tray and gave the woman a huge hug. Finally letting go she looked at the woman's shocked face. "Sorry, I haven't eaten anything all day. I was starving. But don't worry; I'm sure I'll still be hungry for out lunch today. Now that I think about it, I don't think there is a time of day where I'm not hungry."

She then turned around and grabbed two more rolls and started to head out the door she had entered. Suddenly there was a form in front of her. She looked down to see Mekubo staring at her, wide eyed. "Um, Ya?" She asked still puzzled about what was wrong with everyone.

"Your out of your room? Talking to people?" He unexpectedly was in her arms, hanging off her a few inches from the ground, holding on to her like a lifeline.

Tea had no clue what to do. Then it hit her, Anzu's been in her room for the past two months and here I come barging in like nothings changed. Damn, me and my appetite! What to do, what to do? She looked over at Tori, who still had that smug look on his face, it reminded her way too much of Kaiba. She scanned the room further, only this time looked at faces, to find Kaiba, Yugi and Joey also there. She looked back over at Tori who still looked like Kaiba, she couldn't take it.

"Tori, nock it off with the face, you look way to much like him when you do that. We don't need another." She said while pointing to the look alike Kaiba.

Yami smiled. Yup, Anzu was back. No one stood up to Seth like Anzu, then again, no one argued with Anzu like Seth.

Jyo gave a slight laugh as rich boy was put in his place once again. It had been to long, two months is way to long for him to go unchecked.

Tori's smile lessened but was still there. Two thoughts going through his head, 'told you so' and 'man I missed her.'

Mekubo still clung to Anzu, she really was his lifeline. She was the world to him, as much as his brother was. Not to mention, he really did miss her and Seth's arguments, whether Seth would admit it or not, she was incredibly smart, and it showed every time she disagreed with him, which was often.

Seth sat there shocked. This was the one and only Anzu. She terrorized him constantly with her always-happy attitude, the way she always argued with him, her stupid comebacks and her obsession with helping people. Though, for some reason when he saw her he felt a wave of relief wash over him, even if she was the most ignorant, annoying, bitchy person he knew, she did provide amusement. "Mekubo, stop hugging that wench, you don't want fleas." He stated calmly.

She looked like she was going to pick up Mekubo and hurl him at Seth. Then her face became incredibly calm and void of any emotion. "Agreed, which is why you will be staying away from your brother until he takes a bath." She then grabbed Mekubo's hand a led him outside but not before giving a quick wink to the amused servant with a tray of bread in her hands.

Yami, Kaiba and Mokuba all stood outside a two story building with the words, "Domino Dance Studio" inscribed on a wooden plaque. They took a step inside only to be bombarded with running children. It was like a stampede. Kaiba grabbed Mokuba and jumped up on a chair, knowing first hand from Mokuba how relentless an excited child could be. Yami quickly dodged as well, onto the chair across from the Kaiba brothers.

Soon it slowed down to where there were only a few small children lagging behind. Mokuba quickly jumped down and ran over to a five-year-old little girl. She wore a pink tutu with matching ballet slippers and on her head rested a plastic crown. "Hi there, do you think you could help us?"

She pulled her thumb out of her mouth. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"Yes, but we were hoping you could help us find the manager here, where friends of Tea Gardner, do you know her?"

At the mention of Tea's name the girl's eyes became saucers, wide beyond belief. "You three know Tea!" She practically screamed. With that every child in the room turned around to face the three new comers, immediately recognizing what the small girl had said. Suddenly there were fifty children surrounding them asking them a million questions.

"You know Tea?"

"Does she ever dance for you?"

"Are you her boyfriend?"

"Where is she?"

"Can you take us to her?"

"How do you know her?"

"Will you marry her?"

"Can I be in the wedding?"

Seto, Yami and Mokuba all thought their heads were going to explode, when a woman who looked to be in her 60's came out of an office, due to the loud noise. "What is going on?"

All the children turned around to face the speaker. Suddenly the little girl that Mokuba had talked to before came out of the crowd. "Hello mam, we're sorry for being so loud but these are friends of Tea's. We just wanted to get to know them."

The woman gave a kind smile. "Please everyone go back to your classes, I promise I will tell you everything we talk about later."

Soon everyone scurried over to his or her classes, all except for the small girl in the tutu. She turned to Kaiba and handed him two things of candy. "Can you give that to Tea, we all saved up and bought them for her to try and make her feel better. We know they're her favorite."

Kaiba didn't know what to do, but before he had a chance to do anything the girl ran off into her classroom. He looked down to see a Resses and Skittles bag in his hand. What was he going to do with these? Suddenly Mokuba grabbed them from his hands and shoved them down his pockets. "Well give these to her next time were at the hospital."

"I'm very sorry about that. Tea hasn't been in for a couple of days now, the children are extremely worried. They knew she was having a hard time with her headaches. Might I ask what you need?" The woman asked politely.

Yami stepped forward. "Yes, actually we were hoping you could help us by giving us some information on Tea."

"Information? What for?"

"Tea has, unfortunately…" he had to stop, he couldn't say it, if he did that would be admitting it as final, no he had to, this was the only way to help her. "She has slipped into a coma."

"What?"

Yami nodded.

The woman's face dropped. "No, this cant be." She practically fell onto the chair next to her. Then looked back up at the three figures in front of her. "Why? How? Tea…" The woman looked like she was going to cry.

"Yes," Yami continued. "Which is why we need information, the doctors think is psychological and the only way to get her back would be to fix the problem, only problem is they cant find any information on her. Which is why we're here, I don't want to loose her." His eyes started to get teary.

The woman looked back up. "No, they wouldn't find anything on her. I learned that when I interviewed her for a job here. She was perfect in everyway, the students loved her, she was an amazing dancer and had a passion for making people happy. I wanted to hire her there on the spot but regulations say that I must contact her parents first because she's a minor, only there weren't any parents to call."

Kaiba looked up. "What do you mean no parents?"

"Well, she doesn't have any, she's an orphan."

Kaiba froze. What? Tea didn't have parents, she lived on her own, she's an orphan, she's like him and Mokuba? That was impossible, how did she afford that house? It was two stories and was in the nicer part of town. There was no way this job paid for all that. Not mention tuition, clothing, food, and all those animals of hers.

Yami had similar thoughts going through his own head. How come he didn't know this? Why didn't she tell anyone?

The two were to caught up in there own world of questions so Mokuba decided to talk. "She doesn't have a family? Well that explains why all the times I was over there I never met them, and why there aren't any family portraits in the house. But then how does she pay for everything? I'm sure this job doesn't supply her with everything she needs."

"No, I'm sure it doesn't. We do pay more then most dance places but it's not enough to pay for living costs. I have wondered that myself, though it was never my place to ask."

"Do you have any other type of information that could help us out here?"

"Um, not really, just that the kids absolutely love her. Maybe her students will know something." She then grabbed Kaiba and Yami's sleeve and dragged them over to a classroom. The class stopped immediately, recognizing the three visitors as Tea's friends. "This is our ballet three class. Tea teaches three, five and six." She pointed to a different group nearby. "That is jazz, hip hop and tap. She teaches them as well. I'm going to try and dig up any remaining information I might have on her in my office. Please just don't tell the kids about Tea, it would break their hearts."

She then turned back around heading for her office, looking as if she was about to cry. The door shut and the three were left with three hours worth of questioning, to discover, she loved kids, skittles, resses, reading, flowers and cooking. She hated broccoli, 'rich arrogant snobs', snakes and spiders. The woman later came back out with no new information, only a tear stained shirt and red eyes.

Firevixen73-Hi everyone, hope you liked. I was going to talk about what Ishizu and Marik were going to tell Yami and Kaiba but it just didn't fit, i can't make it to long. So any questions and I'll try to answer. And about that whole not likeing 'rich arrogant snobs' there has been many days where Tea comes in mad about something Kaiba has said or done, so that was what she called him when people would ask her what was wrong. Please R&R


	4. Seth's Wakeup Call

Firevixen73- Thanx for the reviews and from the looks of it everyone likes the story so I'll continue. Here ya go.

Tea sat on the balcony looking up at the sky, it was beautiful. This era had yet to develop watches so she could only guess what time it was. From the pitch-black sky covered by thousands of bright stars she was guessing around one one-thirty. She had always wanted a balcony, and now she had one, to bad she had to go four thousand years into the past to get it. She gave a slight laugh at the thought. It was quite funny if you thought about it. Scary as hell, but at the same time, funny.

She made a quick glance over to the fountain, now knowing where to look, it brought back memories of the day. Lunch was fabulous. There was so much food, she didn't know how they carried it all. Gourmet bread, perfectly cut meat, a whole truckload of desserts, like she said, it was perfect. They sat and talked for hours, about everything and everyone. She learned a lot of the things she had been dieing to know, for instance what to call everyone. I mean, it wouldn't be good if she started calling everyone by the wrong name, but, no one would talk about the war, or what role Anzu played in it. Tea knew they were doing that on purpose, worried that bringing it up would cause Anzu to put herself into another depression, she couldn't blame them, Anzu seemed absolutely wonderful. She was nice to everyone and seemed to be the true heart of the city.

Tea took a closer look over at the fountain to see a patch of purple flowers that were obviously suppose to be white. She gave another giggle; glad that she had given Seth a wakeup call saying 'Anzu is no longer in her room.' What a glorious moment that was.

_Tea had a great lunch, dinner, whatever it was, considering it was about four thirty now. Mekubo had come with her, not wanting to leave her side. When they arrived Gem and Mira were already there talking, soon after the other maid showed up. Tea couldn't have had a better time, so she thought, then none other then The High Priest Seth came walking by. He stopped not a few feet in front of Tea, a scowl plastered on his face._

"_Mekubo, I told you to say away from her."_

"_But broth-…" _

_Tea was mad, no furious, he just had to be him and ruin her perfectly lovely evening, rich arrogant snob. She was trying her hardest not to attack him then and there, then an idea hit, he wanted to play with fleas, I'll give him fleas. "No Mekubo, he's right, we wouldn't want to you to get flees, Seth, have you taken that bath yet?" She looked up at him innocently._

_He looked like he was ready to lunge. She gave a slight snicker, that was until he grabbed Mekubo's hand and started to drag him away. He started to push his way through Tea but she wasn't about to let him pass. That was until he pushed a little to hard, and she went strait into the fountain. Water splashed everywhere, well, except for on Seth who was conveniently out of the way._

_Tea immediately sprang up, drenched from head to toe. There she was, soaking wet, standing in the middle of a foot deep fountain with fish swimming all around her. Her clothes clinging to her body and her hair holding on just as tightly. Oh, she was mad, she was incredibly mad. She walked over to the edge and pulled herself out. She looked up to see two maids discretely taking steps backwards and a wide-eyed Gem standing there speechless. Mekubo quickly pulled his hand out of his brothers and raced next to Gem, just as wide-eyed. Then there was Seth, standing there like the freakin king of the world, she was going to wipe that smug look off his face if it was the last thing she did. Her eyes wandered a little bit past his form to see exactly what she wanted. A devil of a smirk found itself on her face._

_She slowly walked over to The High Priest innocently, not once showing her true intentions. "You know what Seth, your right, I'm sorry, Mekubo is your brother and you know what's best for him, I shouldn't get in the way, truce?" She was right in front of him now, ready for some fun. She looked up to see his face showing only one thing, utter confusion. She could practically read his mind; it was saying 'what the hell?' Then she did the unexpected, even Mekubo gasped, she reached up and gave Seth a hug._

_Everyone was shocked, no, not shocked, stunned, no, that wasn't it either; they were completely and utterly bewildered. Anzu and Seth touching willingly, what has gone wrong with the world? Everyone was too busy trying to form complete sentences to notice Tea quietly grabbing the large bowl that had been residing behind Seth's tall form. No one noticed until Tea's hands were above Seth's head pouring the red liquid down his tall frame. Not a sound was made until she had set the bowl down, the one that had just recently held the purple grape juice, down on the bench next to her. _

_She looked up to see Seth staring at her, disbelief written on his face. It was like she could see the cogs slowly turning in his head, trying to comprehend what she just did. She could see his mouth trying to form words, but were to shocked to actually produce the vocals needed. She snickered, "Looks like I've been away to long, your cockier then normal, guess I'm going to have to spend the next few days humbling you. This should be fun." She said menacingly._

_Seth didn't know what to say, let alone what to do, damn she was going to pay, just because he pushed her in a fountain didn't mean she had any right to do anything back! Suddenly a large horn echoed through out the grounds, signaling Lord Darus's arrival. "I gotta go." He said quietly, he slowly turned around and started to head for the gates._

"_Um, Seth? You might want to change."_

_He looked down to see dark purple stains decorating his once spotless clothes. He looked up at Tea, giving her a death glare that would have had a weaker woman running for the oasis. He quickly turned around and started to head for what Tea could only guess as his quarters. "Better hurry, wouldn't want to keep your guest waiting." She practically yelled over to his retreating form._

Yes, that was glorious, and if she had to get a little wet, so be it. In all honesty it was refreshing, the water was nice and cool, while her body's temperature had been growing without her notice. Maybe she should thankhim, na, seriously, this is the look alike Kaiba, no need to boost him up any more then necessary.

Tea suddenly heard a noise from behind her and quickly turned around, ready for a full fledge attack, she may not look it, but she didn't need Yami to protect her, she knew how to take care of herself. She quickly glanced around the room to see a small form standing before her. All she could see was an outline that the moon gave off. From what she could tell her intruder was about 4 foot 9 with wild unruly hair. He wasn't in a fighting position, so she could only guess that he wasn't expecting her to be awake. He also held something in his hand, but she couldn't tell what it was thanks to her dim almost non-existent lighting. "Who's there?" She said ready for a full force attack, I mean, they were in the middle of a war.

"Anzu?" Said a small yet very familiar voice. She went out of her stance and slowly walked over to pull the figure into the light. When she finally had a good look she saw none other than Mekubo, holding on to what seemed to be a blanket. "I had a nightmare that you left again. That this time you wouldn't even let me in." He suddenly started to break down into a pool of tears that seemed to never end.

Tea quickly grabbed him and held him tight, trying desperately to express how much she cared about him through it. She gently lifted his small face up with her finger, making him look her into her eyes. "I'm not planning on going away Mekubo, I couldn't bear to leave you, you're my world. I just didn't… I just didn't realize how my selfishness was effecting everyone around me that's all."

"Really, so you're not going to leave me?"

She gently pulled him closer and started to run her hands though his hair, remembering how little things like this would always help her Mokuba. "Not if I have anything to say about it." She continued to comfort him, till his crying finally stopped. She needed something to cheer him up, then she remembered something he had said earlier, something that had been nagging her ever since. "Hey Mekubo, you said people acted different since I isolated myself, even your brother, what did you mean by that?"

"Oh, well, he's just been different lately. He's been really short tempered; the slightest thing would get him mad. His summoning powers have been off lately too. One time he was supposed to summon a Celtic Night but summoned a Friendship Fairy instead."

"What? Kaib- I mean Seth summoned a what? But… he's always ragging on me about how friendship is useless and petty and only weaklings need it!" She was livid, so much that she stood up, knocking Mekubo out of her lap. She looked down to see her friend on the ground rubbing his back. "Oh, sorry."

"It's ok, I practically did the same thing. I was the only one in the room and he tried to play it off that he did it on purpose, but come on, this is _my_ brother. So naturally I had to tell you."

Tea grinned, awe, this was somewhat sweet. Sick; because it was the Kaiba look alike, but sweet because he was concerned about Anzu. That's so cute! Wait, does that mean that the Kaiba in her time was currently worried about her? Nope, not cute whatsoever, just sick and wrong, sick and wrong. There was no way she was going to take that chance; she wasn't even going to think about it. But if Seth was worried about Anzu and they were one in the same did that mean… no, no, no! She was thinking about it! "Um, what about Yami, did he act different?"

"Ya, he started to grow darker if you get what I mean. He started doing things that someone banished to the shadow realm would do. I mean, just little things, nothing big, but still, he had his moments. I mean Anzu, you keep everyone pure around here." The little boy then gave a large yawn and collapsed onto her bed. "Do you think I could stay with you for tonight, don't worry I promise it's only for tonight."

"Of course you can. Though, you better take advantage of this luxury, your starting to get to old."

"Ya, you said that last time too." He said in a half daze. His breath slowly steadied until she knew he was asleep. She pulled the small blanket up and kissed him on the forehead. "Alright you, sleep tight." Tea slowly closed her eyes ready for her own peaceful slumber.

Seth laid in bed thinking about the past days events. Anzu had amazingly enough recovered, full force and had somehow managed to get the best of him, again. He was stunned beyond belief when she first entered the throne room, everyone was. She said that she was hungry and couldn't find anything, but this was Anzu, the first thing she asks when going somewhere is where the kitchen is, it's not like her to forget that type of detail, then again she had been in her room for two months.

He finished recapping, wondering how the hell she won that argument. He must be out of practice or something because that is not suppose to happen, she only wins part of the time, not two out of two.

He suddenly had a vivid flashback of Anzu's wet form. How her clothes clung to her body like they weren't even there. Water dripping down her small form, and those defiant eyes. Her eyes, they were so… He sat up trying to think of the proper word. Then it hit him, strong; her eyes were strong, defiant yet at the same time… different.

He laid back down, why was he even thinking of this? That wench had made him late, again. He had to change his clothes and wash his hair, which took way longer then he wanted. Then that stupid mutt was nagging him the entire meeting saying how rich boy needs to work on proper manners. Him, getting lectured about manners, not something that he wants to here, ever! Jyo's voice was already aggravating enough, but now he actually had something to pester him about. This was all Anzu's fault.

What the hell did his brother see in her anyway? He'd never understand. She was infuriating, annoying, exasperating, irritating and talked way too much. She talked enough to put the rest of the women of the world to shame, hell; they would probably be running also. A sudden image of all the women in the city running from Anzu for talking so much formed in his head. He could feel a slight smile playing on his lips.

Seth heard a noise from outside his door and quickly jogged over to see what it was. Before reaching his door he grabbed his Millennium Rod, then peered around his doorframe. He could see a figure walking through the halls, which was weird considering the guards, didn't come through this section. He silently willed his Rod to produce a faint light revealing his younger brothers teary-eyed face. Mekubo continued down his path, sniffling every few steps only to stop at Anzu's door.

He turned back into his own room, knowing fully how happy Mekubo was that Anzu was back to normal. He knew because Mekubo wouldn't stop talking about her. After the brief meeting with Lord Darus Mekubo had decided to join his brother in the library. Seth had been busy trying to find the best way to gain Lord Darus's approval, from records, honesty was a big thing with their family, but how was he going to prove something like that? That's when Mekubo came in with the none stop babble about Anzu and how happy he was that she was back. Well, he couldn't say he was to happy to hear about the woman who had just poured grape juice on his head, but he was happy to see Mekubo smiling again. It had been a while.

Seth went back to his bed and laid back down. He needed to get some sleep, trying to convince Lord Darus that he was trust worthy in three days wasn't going to be easy. Trust like what he needed took years to form, he needed more that three days, though, that's all they had. On the fourth, he would be going back to his own country and then there would be no reaching him.

Seth clothed his eyes slowly drifting off to sleep, but for the first time in the past two months, worry was not etched onto his face.

Seto Kaiba was not having a good morning. His alarm clock was busted and wouldn't shut up, he managed to spill coffee on himself trying to avoid one of Tea's cats, which Mokuba had insisted stayed at their house, and now Mokuba was no where in sight. For once he was looking forward to his early morning meetings, that way he could get away. Away from Mokuba's constantly crying over Tea, away from Tea's blasted pets, away from Tea's friends who keep dropping by and away from Tea!

He quickly walked over to his garage and saw his limo driver waiting for him. The man went to open the door but Kaiba quickly waved him away. "I'll drive myself today, I need the stress relief."

The driver nodded slightly taken back, and handed his boss the keys to his favorite car, his Porch. It was a platinum silver two-seater that went extremely fast. Kaiba was halfway to work when he suddenly remembered what car he was in.

"Damit." He whispered to himself. Why, out of all his cars did it have to be this one? Couldn't Tea just leave him alone for one freakin minute?

_Seto Kaiba was currently walking back from school. Yes, the legendary multibillion dollar Kaiba, walking. Don't be fooled, he didn't want to but…He looked down to see his brother merrily skipping by his side, ice cream cone in hand. Mokuba had signed both him and Seto up for 'Walk for Cancer Week.' It was a thing done once a year in Domino where people would for the most part walk instead of ride. Unless they had to go a huge distance, you would be walking in the blazing sun instead of a nice air-conditioned car. The whole town went all out, they even had the horse drawn carriages. Of course, no one in high society did it, unfortunately for him, Mokuba didn't care._

_So here he was walking back to his mansion, wishing he had at least one of his servants around so they could buy a fan and wave it on him, when a sudden something made him screech to a halt, well more like backwards because that exactly the direction he went. He opened his eyes to see none other than Tea Gardner sitting on top of him, rubbing her head._

"_Damn that hurt." She said while still trying to stop the pounding in her head. "I'm really sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going, it's my fault…." Blue locked with blue. "Never mind, I was wrong, it was all your fault." She said quickly while trying to push her body up onto her feet._

"_No, I think you had it right the first time wench." Said Kaiba as he pushed his own body forward._

"_No, I'm pretty sure it was yours, I mean if you weren't such and arrogant jerk my mind wouldn't have felt the urge to subconsciously attack you."_

"_Shouldn't you be off trying to save something useless? I know, go tie yourself to a tree so they wont cut down a forest, then I can pay them extra to run you over." He grumbled rather loudly._

"_Why you dipsh-"_

_Suddenly a clearing of the voice noise was heard. He turned to see Mokuba trying to pretend he didn't just hear what they said, Tea's face immediately flushed. "Um, like I was saying you should watch out for those, um dips in the sidewalk, they haven't filled them in yet."_

"_Um, ya, I'll do that." He said while trying to look anywhere but at his brother._

_Mokuba gave a slight frown. "I'm gonna get another ice cream cone, I'll be back in a few minutes." He then walked over to the long line. Once Seto was sure he was out of hearing range he turned on Gardner._

"_Do you have to be so you?"_

"_What is that suppose to mean?"_

"_Exactly like it sounds, now move it."_

"_Um, not so much, I'm not done here. Listen, I'm sorry about running into you, and knocking you flat on your ass-"_

"_Your not very good at this apology thing."_

"_Oh, ya, your one to talk, what are you doing out in the real world anyway? Shouldn't you be in some porch trying to drown out the voices of the people your running over?"_

"_Not that it's any of your business but Mokuba signed me up for that stupid walking for a week thing."_

"_Your really an ass you know that? But, I guess that explains it." She started to walk away but Kaiba reached for her arm and pulled her back._

"_Explains what?"_

"_Nothing, just, well, you never do anything spontaneous and the date was decided just last week, therefore making it a spontaneous decision. It only makes sense that Mokuba was the one who pushed you to do it."_

"_Your pathetic Gardner."_

"_And you're an ass Kaiba, glad we cleared that up." She then yanked her wrist out of his grip and walked away in the opposite direction. Soon after Mokuba came back, ice cream cone in hand, wondering where Tea was._

_They were almost home when Seto saw a car dealership. They were having some specials on porches. Suddenly Gardner's voice rang through his head. "You don't do spontaneous." Well that just wouldn't do. He did a 180 and bought the most expensive car on the lot. A two-seater silver porch, which would be delivered in about a week. _

Now that Kaiba thought about it, it really was childish. He had done it show Gardner that he could do spontaneous and because of her earlier comment about porches. In reality, she didn't even know about the peurchase, unless Mokuba told her. Come to think about it that was about five months ago. Mokuba was already spending time with her, so maybe she did know.

Oh well, not like it matters. He silently slipped the car into fourth gear. "Besides," He said to himself. "I like this car."

Kaiba was soon at his desk, rummaging through papers and contracts. The early morning meeting went like usual; long. To his displeasure he found himself for once, with nothing to due. He had finished his work and there wasn't another meeting for half an hour. He looked back at the clock. Correction 29 minutes and 46 seconds. Now it's 45 seconds, 44, 43, damn he needed to find something to do. Then he remembered yesterday. Tea was an orphan, yet she could afford her living style.

He glanced over at his computer. Fine, but only because Mokuba was worried, he had no interest in any of this. It wasn't fascinating at all, it wasn't a living rubrics cube, and this wasn't a puzzle, which his mind was desperate to solve. No, this was just for his brother.

He typed in Tea's name. Error. He tried again, but soon realized that he really didn't know anything about her. He didn't know her middle name, address, phone number, date of birth, or blood type. He was getting nowhere. Then it hit him; the school would have to know something. I mean she would have had to apply; it is one of the best schools around.

He put his hacking skills to use. I mean, you can't run a company based on electronics and not know the tricks. He was the boy genius after all. After what seemed like an eternity he finally made it in, why the school needed such a high tech security system was beyond him, what were they hiding, criminals? After about five more minutes of searching he found Tea's name, he was about to click on it when his secretary's voice came through the intercom.

"Mr. Kaiba, your 2 o'clock is here."

"Ya, give me a minute." He put his hand on the mouse again. No such luck.

"Are you positive sir?"

He growled and gave himself a mental note to fire her. "I'm sure."

"But sir-"

He gave up; the world obviously didn't want him doing this right now. He closed his laptop, knowing he was already meeting his brother and Yugi at Gardner's house at five. He would just have to wait until then. He called his soon to be fired secretary and told her to let them in.

Yami stood at Tea's front door, waiting for the Kaiba brothers to arrive. A limo soon pulled up and Mokuba stepped out. "Seto is coming a bit later."

"Alright, you got the key?"

"Ya, it's right here." He pulled out a silver key and placed it in the doorknob and pushed it open. The room was quite, lonely and sad. There was no delicious meal in the kitchen being cooked, no animals jumping up to great him and there was no Tea smiling, waiting to give him her oh so famous bear hugs. Mokuba pushed back his resurfacing tears when he heard a car door slam. He turned around to see his brother walking towards them, laptop in hand.

Seto looked down at his heartbroken brother, he looked miserable. "I might have found something." He said hoping that would at least cheer up Mokuba a bit. It did too, his eyes quite there watering and he walked over to the couch.

Yami this time sat on the solo seat while the brothers were on the big sofa. Seto pulled out his laptop and opened it up. "I checked out the school records, but I didn't have enough time to look at them, so this will be a first for me too."

"Wait?" He looked over at Yugi. "How did you get those records, the school is really big on privacy, I cant believe they would just give them to you?"

"They didn't." He stated plainly. He noticed that a smile was playing on not only his, but also his brother's lips. Why did that make him smile? "What are you smiling about?"

Mokuba's smile just grew. "Nothing."

"Mokuba." A threatening tone found it's way from him throat.

"I was just thinking that my big brother is really cool, that's all. I'm going to get us some food, Tea's always got leftover's." He was heading towards the kitchen but Yami noticed that his lips were still moving so he strained his ears. "Well, that and that you must care about Tea more then you let on if your willing to hack into the school security fault."

Yami couldn't help but smile.

"What are you smiling at?" Asked a now pissed Kaiba, everyone was smiling and he didn't know why.

"Nothing, can we check the files now?"

Kaiba nodded and clicked on Tea name, her application form came up, it read:

Name: Tea Gardner

Parents: Deceased

Current School: John F. Kennedy High School

GPA: 4.2

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Extra Curricular Activities: Currently working at 'Mickey's Restaurant', community service, basketball, babysitting, and Captain of the Dance Team.

References: Amy Hart, Chelsea Webber, Mickey Zola and Daniel Crane.

Then a big accepted was printed at the bottom. Kaiba was guessing that none of the other information was relative according to the school. Well, he couldn't find anything of real relevance. Those were probably all teachers or something, they usually knew nothing about the actual student, just how they did in class, and obviously her parents were already deceased. Wait! What the hell? John F. Kennedy High School? Tea lived in New York?

"Um, hey Moto, Tea lived in New York."

"What?" Yami walked over and read it over, it was true, she did. That was a big school too. They had won a lot of championships for basketball, football and dance, major in athletics, though not as high academically. "These names, do you think we should call them?"

"I wouldn't think so, they're probably just teachers that knew she paid attention in class."

Mokuba soon found his way out of the kitchen and back to his brother. He looked over at a screen to see a name that he saw often. "Hey, I know that guy."

"What?" They both asked.

"Well, I mean, I don't actually know him but I see his name enough, he's always calling up Tea and writing her letters. I think they talk almost everyday."

"Which one."

"The Mickey Zola guy." Mokuba ran over to a stack of old mail and started rummaging through it. He pulled out about three or four letters and handed them to Yami and sure enough, the return address of Mickey Zola was written on each one of them.

Firevixen73- Hey everyone, sorry for making you wait a bit on the update, but hey, at least it wasn't like two months this time. Also, Yugi's really not in this story, it's mostly Yami, most of the time when I say Yugi it means someone who thinks it's Yugi. I also made up all the people's names and made up the school, I have no idea if it actually exists. Lets see, anything else?

Oh ya, I plan on telling you what Ishizu and Marik were going to tell Yami and Kaiba in the next chapter, hopefully it'll work out.

Final note, do you want to hear more about Tea and what's going on with her or about what the Kaiba's and Yami find out, or is it good the way it is?


	5. Breaking out

Life was boring, no, life was really boring. There was absolutely nothing to do. Well, sure there were a few things, but nothing she actually wanted to do. You would think traveling thousands of years in the past would be more interesting, but it wasn't. Maybe it would be if she wasn't on complete lockdown!

Tea made a quick glance over at her cracked open door, she could vaguely see the outline of two soldiers. Stupid Seth. He really was a jerk, he just had to go and get her back for the juice incident, when he was the one who started it! Stupid idiot. He just had to go and tell Yami that he didn't think it would be wise if she could go anywhere she wanted. He just had too, stupid insensitive, know-it-all jerk! And what the hell is Yami doing listening to him anyways? She was going to get him so bad.

Damn, she had been locked up in her room for the past four hours, apparently, thanks to Seth's advice, she wasn't to go anywhere. How Anzu stayed in this room for two months was beyond Tea's comprehension. It was just so nice outside, and here she was stuck indoors, under lock and key. She needed a way out, but what would work?

Tea walked back over to her balcony, looking over at the town, they probably had really good sales going on. Stupid- wait! Duh tea, your on a balcony! She looked over at the edge only to find no way of escape. She was so high up, she'd defiantly break her legs if she tried jumping. Tea looked over to her right to see a large patch of vines growing, it was a stretch but it was possible. She was just going to have to make the jump over to it a big one.

Tea silently walked over to her guards and peeked around the corner to see what looked like a stack of coins and duel monster cards. Perfect, their occupied. She ran back over to the dresser and pulled out a lightweight cloak, just enough to keep her face hidden, but not make her unbearably hot. Tea walked back over to her balcony and climbed over the railing, giving one last look over at her door and was glad when she heard muffled noises that sounded like laughter. Good, they were still busy.

She looked over at the large vine. For some reason she was worried, though for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. She had done things like this a million times over back in New York. Climbing down on drains and pipes, her and Vicky would do it all the time when they were grounded. So why was she worried now? Maybe cause it's been two years since she last had to. Oh well, it was either this or be stuck inside all day.

She looked back over, damn, it's like six feet. All right Tea, just remember to reach. Tea positioned her self and pushed off with all her might, hand extended. She could feel her right hand brush up against something and instinctively grabbed it. Her other hand immediately swung down for a lower vine while her feet somehow managed to find foot holes. Tea looked down to see herself roughly twenty three yards above the ground, so she steadily climbed down.

When she was about two feet from the ground she heard a man's voice. He was coming up from her left. Tea quickly let go and soon found herself pressing her body against the shadows of the palace…temple…well she wasn't sure what to call it. A man with long black hair and a large staff was soon standing a few yards away. Curious, she looked closer to see a few gray hairs tangled in with black. The object she had first associated as a staff seemed to be more of a walking stick from the way he was leaning against it, which was odd, because he didn't look older then forty-five. The man seemed to be staring up at something but before she had a chance to investigate Seth walked around the corner.

She immediately drew back any ideas of talking to this man. He didn't look to be from around here, meaning he probably didn't know that she was currently suppose to be in her room, but Seth sure as hell would, the stupid git was the reason she was stuck up there in the first place. Luckily they were close by, so she didn't have to strain her ears. Seth was currently talking.

"So as you can see, we are a very well organized country. Well equip and extremely reliable-"

"What's up there?" Asked the man, pointing up. Tea looked up to see that it was her balcony he was pointing at.

Seth looked over at the direction the man was pointing at and gave a slight growl. Very faint, but apparently loud enough for the older man to hear.

"I take it no one you like?"

"No, nothing like that, it's just she's very defiant, and well, we have our differences."

Tea wanted to laugh but managed to somehow stop herself.

"Really, so it's a woman?"

"Yes, though if you don't mind my asking, what's your interest in her? We've passed many rooms and this is the only one you've commented on."

"Well, I just remembered seeing guards by the door leading to that room."

"Oh."

"No comment on that?"

"No."

"I think that's the first time you've said no to me while I've been here. I like it, builds character." The man turned and continued to walk in the direction he had been heading and was eventually out of view.

Seth just stood there, mouth open. Tea wanted to laugh really bad, no, really really bad. This was just funny. I'm sure the last thing Seth wanted to talk about during, well, whatever this was, was her. And obviously Seth was trying to get on this guy's good side, just a feeling, but I'm pretty sure showing that you have enemy's in your own home wasn't a way to earn someone's trust.

Tea walked out of the shadows as soon as Seth was out of view and headed off to what she remembered as one of the exits. When she finally reached it she saw two guards standing in her way, apparently they were actually doing their job, unlike the ones at her room. Tea pulled the cloak's hood over her head and mingled in with a group of passing women. Tea froze when she heard a loud 'you' being shouted. She turned around to see one of the guards pointing in her direction. She gulped.

The guard walked over in her direction but surprisingly didn't stop when he reached her. She turned to see him walking over to a woman with a large basket of apples. He reached down and picked up a few stray apples that had apparently fallen out. "You dropped these."

The woman bowed. "Thank you sir." The woman scurried away, with Tea not to far behind. She wanted to get out of the guards reach; that was just to close. She was in a different time, who knows what they did for punishment. Tea turned around to see the woman almost trip on another fallen apple. She immediately reached over and grabbed the woman's arm, preventing her from being like her now smashed fruit; unfortunately Tea's hood fell off in the process.

The woman turned around. "Thank yo-! Oh, Lady Anzu! I cant-" but Tea immediately covered the woman's mouth.

"Pleas please, don't say anything, I'm not suppose to be out. I'll be in major trouble." Tea gradually lessened her grip as the woman eyes showed her understandment. "Thank you. Now lets see if we can salvage any of these."

"Thank you my Lady. I'm sorry about my outburst." She bowed politely.

"No need for an apology, I'm the one who's not suppose to be out, if it's anyone's fault it's mine."

"Why aren't you supposed to be out? If you don't mind my asking?"

"I'm not sure, though I'm sure Seth had something to do with it. I do have to wonder what he told the Pharaoh in order to make him put guards around my room."

"There are guards?"

"Ya, but I'm sure it's only because Seth wanted to get me back for pouring juice down his robes."

"You poured juice down the High Priests robes? But isn't cleanliness suppose to be a big part of his role, I thought it was suppose to represent his status?"

"Ya, that kind of made it funnier. So, are you sure your going to be all right? You don't need any help?"

"Oh, no, I'll be fine." Said the woman, who seemed to be suppressing a laugh. Apparently the rumors of her and the High Priest relationship were true, they really do torment each other. "Is their anything I can help you with my Lady?"

"Um, not really, though, do you think you could not tell anyone that you saw me, at least for now?"

"Of course, I completely understand. I remember when I was young and would sneak out of my house at night, the last thing I needed was for someone to snitch."

Tea smiled. "Thank you very much, actually, do you think you could point me in the direction of the market?"

"Oh yes, it's that way." The woman pointed to what seemed to be a small vetch table stand. "You just go past that stand and turn left, then down a few more streets and make another turn only right, and your there."

"Thank you!"

"No, thank you, if it wasn't for you I would have a broken leg and no apples. I will have to bake you one of my deserts, I own a bakery down a little ways. Just stop by if you ever have a chance, I would be extremely honored." The woman bowed and left.

Tea watched until she entered what she could only guess was the bakery. She turned around and headed in the direction that the woman had gave her. Tea turned the last corner to see a completely packed street. There were venders of all kind, it was so packed. If Tea didn't know any better she would have thought she was back in her own time walking through Nostrums when their having a sale, which happened about once a year so full advantage was always taken.

Tea quickly hurried into the busy crowd ready for an extensive shopping spree. Tea was amazed at how much she found, she soon spotted a stand of beautiful cotton, which you could tell had been hand made by its delicacy. It was beautiful; she quickly reached over to grab it only to be even more amazed by its texture.

She could vaguely see the vendor walking over in her direction. "Miss, can I help you with anything?"

Tea turned around and noticed that the mans face immediately froze, that's when she realized she hadn't put her hood back on, damn, well, to late to cover it up now. "I was actually wondering how much this was, its texture is very unique, I feel like I've felt it before but I can't place it."

"Lady Anzu-"

"Please, no need for formalities."

"But, I'm just so surprised to see you here. There were rumors."

"Yes, thank you for your concern, it really is appreciated." Though inside Tea was sighing, how many times has she been through this? Anzu has way to many followers!

"Thank you for deeming my shop worthy of your presence my Lady, and to answer your question it is called Egyptian cotton."

"Why is that?"

"Well, most cottons are imported because they are so hard to grow here in Egypt my Lady. Though, because of the rare chemicals in our soil, when we can manage to grow it here it has special fibers added into it, leaving us with these results."

"So it's extremely hard to grow?"

"Very."

"Then you must be asking a lot for it?"

"Unfortunately yes. 15 gold pieces a role."

"15! That's a total rip off." She grumbled. "How about five?"

"No, I'm sorry but this is to much of a delicacy, but I can see you're an experienced shopper, how about 14?"

"No way, seven?" She started

"12." He debated

"Eight."

"11."

"Nine." She argued

"10" He argued back

"Eight."

"Nine."

"Seven."

"Eight. Hey wait!"

"Deal!" She yelled, a huge grin plastered on her face.

"And I thought my wife knew how to manipulate! Alright, but your going to teach me how you did that."

"Well my young one, manipulation is something that you must practice daily, but the key is catching your opponent off guard."

"Apparently, but a deal is a deal. So how many rolls?"

"Two please, the white and blue tints. Though how did you manage to get those colors? I'm sure they don't grow that way."

"Die from a certain type of flower." He grabbed the yard long rolls and handed them to Tea.

"Anzu! What the hell are you doing out here?" Came a voice from behind her. Tea spun around to see Joey standing there, arms crossed tapping his foot. He looked angry, but amused at the same time.

Joey? No, is Jyo. "Hey Jyo, what's up?" She asked nervously.

"What are you doing outside of your room?"

"Shopping." A nervous laugh instinctively came from her throat.

"Better question, why are shopping and not in your room?"

"Cause I'm betting Seth was the one who talked Yami into locking me up so I figured this was one of the best ways to piss him off."

Jyo's scowl turned into a smirk, he reached over and gave Tea a huge bear hug. "God I missed you." He whispered into her ear. He pulled back, still holding on to her shoulders. "Don't ever go meltdown on me again, got that Anzu, Seth's way to cocky when your not around to kick his rich ass, verbally and physically."

Tea heard a giggle escape from her throat, she was just glad she wasn't in trouble. She immediately turned around and pulled out her coin purse to pay the man, but was stopped by Jyo. "No, I got these, put them on the palace's tab," he bent over and wrote on a piece of paper, on Tori's account to be exact. He gave a slight grin. "And deliver them to the palace if you could." He then gave the piece of paper to the man; she looked to see his signature, which must indicate that what he was saying was true and that he really did buy the cloth. The man immediately left after seeing the signature.

"What do you think your doing?"

"Hey, Seth's not the only one who's been cocky lately." He said with a grin.

"But you just put that on Tori's tab, you can do that?"

"Course, and what are you talking about, you're the one who taught me to do that? Don't you remember? Seth had been his usual arrogant self and told all the guards that you weren't aloud near the kitchens so you placed all your shopping bills on his tab. It was so funny, I thought he was going to attack you then and there." Jyo's face started turning red from trying to suppress his laughter.

"You don't say, well my shopping spree just got about a hundred times better."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, so you're not going to tell any one about this right?"

"Course not Anzu, this is me, I live for pissing off Seth, and I know it will give Yami a run for his money. I still can't figure out his reasoning, how in the world he thought he could keep you under lock and key is beyond me, even I know your untamable."

"Men are stupid that way."

"Ya, hey? No we're not!"

Tea turned around to the vender who had yet to leave. "See, catch them off guard, works every time." She winked and turned back around. "Well, I got to go, Seth's money isn't going to spend it's self."

"Alright, so when do you think you'll be back?"

"When I run out of idea's on things that I want, it's not everyday I get an all expense paid shopping spree, but as to when that is, I have no clue."

"Ok, I'll see you later." He turned around to leave and walked a few steps then stopped. He turned back around and walked back over to Tea, pulling her into another large hug. Then once again turned around to leave, only this time he didn't stop, he just continued to walk till he was out of sight. Tea smiled, didn't matter what era it was, Joey and Tristen where the same, the big older brothers she never had.

Tea turned back around to look at the clusters of people, all right, time for a little pay back.

---------------------

Kaiba sat at his desk, listening to another proposal. Did they ever stop? Maybe they just didn't understand that he didn't want anything to do with these half beat companies. Why taint the Kaiba name like that? Damn this was dull.

He looked up at the young woman in front of him, she was proposing a merger of the company's, and wanted to set up a building on Main Street off of Cherry. Though now that he thought about it, wasn't there already a building there? That's right, it was a Mexican Restaurant. It was locally owned and had been there for about seven years. That one thought brought a sudden flood of memories to the CEO, mainly doing with a certain blue-eyed brunette.

Tea used to work at a locally owned restaurant. That Mickey Zola guy, they had eventually found his number and called him only to find out that he wasn't in town. He apparently had left earlier that day and the waitress had no idea to where. He had just told everyone that he had to leave and to hold down the restaurant and the assistant cooks would do all the cooking for the next few days. She promised to have him call when he got back. That was two days ago and still no word.

Kaiba looked back over at the woman in front of him, she was still talking. Did she just not realize that no attention was being paid what so ever? Better cut this short. "I'm sorry to interrupt but this just isn't going to work out. Our company has nothing to do with what your offering. Now if you'd excuse me, I have to leave."

Kaiba stood up but the woman was in front of him begging for another chance. "Please Mr. Kaiba, consider it, our make-up line is becoming quite popular and this merger would be beneficial to both our company's. Harmony Beauty supply's happens to be one of the fastest growing makeup company's in the nation."

"I'll think about it, my secretary will set up another meeting, I'll have her call you with a date."

"Thank you sir." Before he could reach the door she took another step in front of him, pulling something out from the sleeve of her Armada suit. She then placed the piece of paper into his own pocket. "This is my private number, I'll be looking forward to your call." She quickly hurried out of the room and over to the elevator.

Kaiba walked out of his office and took of his blazer. He looked over at his new secretary, he couldn't remember her name, oh well, not like it mattered, she was beneath him. "Burn this." He tossed his coat over in her direction, the number still inside the pocket. He didn't want that filthy woman's hands on his stuff. She wreaked of perfume enough as it was, no reason to be caring that stench around all day.

When Kaiba finally managed it home his brother was on the couch. "Seto your home? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was starting to get irritated with everyone and I wasn't getting any work done so I left."

"You mean, more then normal?"

"Ya, their insolence was really reaching my limit. And why do you care?"

"Well, I wanted to go to the hospital to visit Tea all day but had no one to go with, and well, you weren't suppose to be home for another three and a half hours so, um…"

"Spit it out Mokuba."

"Well, I kinda called Yugi over."

"Excuse me?" The elder Kaiba looked over at the younger Kaiba. "You called who?" He said sternly.

"Well, it's not like you were around, and I'm used to seeing Tea at least four hours out of the day, and it's hard not being around her. I miss her, and well, I figured Yugi did too."

"You are not going with him Mokuba."

"What?"

"You aren't going. I'm still trying to comprehend that you actually spent time with Gardner, let alone why, and now you want to go play with Yugi? No."

"We're not playing, we're just going to see Tea. If you're so worried then you should come."

"What? Why would I want to see her? I've already got enough of a reminder of her through her damn pets! Or in case you forgot, were housing them."

Suddenly the door from the hall way opened and in stepping Yami. "The maid said I would find Mokuba in here."

"Ya, I'm here, by the way, Seto's coming with us." Mokuba stated plainly.

"No I'm not!" Kaiba yelled.

"You are?" asked Yami.

"No!"

Mokuba grabbed his jacket and his brother's pompilot. It carried everything, numbers, meetings, and copies of contracts. "Yes he is." He said while dangling it over the aquarium.

"Damn, fine I'll come." He grabbed his own coat and headed for his limo, Mokuba right behind him.

The three stepped into the limo; Mokuba immediately sat over in the far corner, leaving Kaiba and Yami to sit next to each other.

Yami looked over at Kaiba, who was busy scowling. "You can tell Mokuba's been hanging around Tea."

Kaiba looked over at Yami. "Why's that?"

"Cause she did the exact same thing to me, two months ago with my Dark Magician."

------------------

Kaiba sat down in the visitor's chair while Yami stood. He looked over at his brother who was kneeling against Tea's bed, holding her hand. He looked like he was ready to cry, but somehow managed to keep the tears inside. Kaiba scanned the room to see various flowers and stuffed animals everywhere. Next to him sat a box of chocolates, he read the note inside his head.

"_Please get better soon!"- From all of us at Quake_

Another read…

"_We miss you Tea, the days are so much longer without you to brighten them. Lot's of love."_

_From Domino Orphanage_

Kaiba continued to read, this one was a bouquet of sunflowers.

"_You are in our prayers and we ask every morning, night and meal that you will come safely home to us."- Mr. and Mrs. Farge_

Kaiba looked up to see his brother pulling out something from his pockets. They were the Reuses and Skittle packets the kids from the Dance school had given him. He watched as Mokuba placed them on her lap.

"These, these are from your students, they miss you, a lot." Mokuba stopped him self once again from crying. "And don't worry about your animals, I talked Seto into taking care of them…"

Kaiba turned back around, leaving his brother to himself. He studied the gifts in front of him.

Quake, they sent her chocolates, but they were a really famous club, celebrities went there a lot, weird how they would send Tea something. Unless she knew them really well, but, that couldn't be, Tea wasn't important, she wasn't some high time actress or big business person, so why'd they send her something? And the Domino Orphanage? Why did they send something? And what was this about brightening up their day, did that mean she was there often? Mr. and Mrs. Farge, they were world-renowned preachers. Incredibly famous and rich, they spoke at the United Nations union banquet, the pope's inauguration, they have daily breakfasts with prime ministers from around the world, what are they doing sending Tea something?

Kaiba slowly got up to study his surroundings farther. He wanted to see who else had sent her get-well gifts, all the while wondering why. Did she somehow know all these people? But if so, how? And if not, why would they be sending her things?

"Kaiba?"

Kaiba turned around at the sound of a woman calling his name. He turned around to see Ishizu standing in the doorway. Soon her brother Marik was behind her. "Kaiba, Mokuba, Yami, I'm glad I found you."

Yami looked just as surprised. "Why would you wan to find us?"

"Well, Marik and I decided that we should tell you what we were planning on telling you that night, the night that, well this happened."

"I don't think right now is the right time Ishizu." Yami stated slightly annoyed with her timing.

"No, right now is actually an opportune time." Marik stated plainly. He walked past his sister and pulled out a chair for him to sit on. Ishizu did the same, sitting next to her brother.

Kaiba continued to stand while Yami took a seat at the end of Tea's bed.

Ishizu was the first to speak. "We wanted to tell you the origination of Duel Monsters."

"What? That's what this is about? Your kidding, everyone knows Pegasus created them."

"Your willing to stand by that Kaiba, with everything you've seen, heard, felt within your very core of existence?"

Kaiba was slightly taken back, it was true, he had seen things to lead otherwise.

"Now, as we were saying, long ago there was a man, a greedy man. He cared for nothing but himself, only wanting one thing, power, dominance over all. He happened to have that, for he was the head of his family, meaning his word was law. He was not just the head of any family though, he was head of the Guardian family. They were, for lack of a better term, overpowering. They owned everything. The crops, the goods, the oil the gold, the water, it all belonged to them. The Guardian clan was large as well, leaving him as basically a king, but this wasn't enough for him.

"Were not exactly sure how, but he managed a deal with the powers of the shadow realm. He would be granted unlimited power with no boundaries. He immediately accepted, and that was what he was granted, unlimited power, but his family soon noticed the price. They changed; they changed into the creatures you duel with to this very day. Some of the woman would grow claws, wings and beaks while the man would grow tails and their hair would change colors. Celtic Guardian, Harpy Lady, these are all members of his house. Any one with even a drop of the Guardian blood was changed, the closer they were to the head of the family the more powerful. Unfortunately they had to continue serving him, leaving them bound to the man who ruined their lives.

"Now, this man had three sons, who were just as greedy as their father. They too gained power, but didn't become Duel Monsters like the rest of their family, no; they gained similar power to that of their father, only not as much. Knowing that when their father died, they would inherit his power and ruler ship they planned to kill him, and six months later, they succeeded, each receiving what they deemed as their rightful inheritance.

"Something strange happened though, when he died his powers rose out of his body and split into fourths. Three of those fourths went into the three sons, but the last remaining one, flew out of the window. It seemed as if their father had an illegitimate child, who would receive their own abilities. Well, you can imagine how mad the brothers were, but the monsters where delighted. That one orb gave them hope; hope that they would be under the leadership of a kind man, instead of their current tyrants.

"Many of the monsters were able to leave the brothers rule as well, thanks to their being another heir. So they immediately started to look for him, knowing only that they would be drawn to him by his bloodline and the ruler ship he rightfully had, nothing else. One by one the brothers, who did not want this unknown son to realize their potential, killed the rouge monsters. Eventually though, the brothers greed got the better of them and they turned against each other, wanting more power. This gave the remaining monsters enough time to track down the child and teach him of who they were, and were born to be.

"This Yami, is the great war you were shown. The four siblings each fighting against each other, trying to out due the other. The three brothers fighting for themselves and the power they know they would inherit, while the fourth, the illegitimate, fought for the freedom and right of their newly discovered family. Who in turn, paired up with you two, Pharaoh Yami and High Priest Seth."

"That's the origin of dueling? Duel Monsters were actual people?" Asked Yami, who extremely glad that he had already sat down.

"No," Marik was speaking now, "duel monsters continue to be real people, they have the same hearts and souls, they are just transformed into what we see today."

"Then how did Pegasus stumble across Dueling?" asked Kaiba

"He didn't, the Guardian family lives, in this very era. They sold the idea to him, being a silent partner, leaving him with the fame, and them with the money."

"What happened though, in the war?" asked Mokuba "And why don't we see Duel Monsters walking around in the streets?"

"We're not positive about the war, all we know are the end results. Duel Monsters where cast into the shadow realm, along with their power. Until about two years ago we didn't even know they were back."

"What do you mean, 'back'?" asked Kaiba "We duel with them everyday."

"No, you duel with cards and holograms, not the real thing. The actual monsters are here, roaming the planet, following their master's orders. It wasn't until two years ago that we noticed."

"Why two years ago?" asked Yami.

"Because that was about the time the head of the Guardian family was killed by his three sons, who are much more reckless then their predecessor."

"So you mean to say that it has already started?"

"Yes, it has." answered Ishizu

"But what about the fourth kid? I don't know about Yugi but I know no ones come up to my brother asking for any help in saving the world."

Ishizu looked back up at Marik. "We were actually counting on Tea to lead us to him."

"What?" All three listeners asked, for once on the same page.

"Yes, two years ago she entered this city, two and a half years ago the duel monsters changed in ownership. We tried, but Tea has no actual background, her being here for all of Yugi and Kaiba's duels and her love of the friendship fairy has lead us to believe that she is in fact a duel monster protecting her leader. We figured through this 'coma' she's contacting the rest of the Duel Monsters telling them where to come, it's a theory but it's a strong one." Stated Marik.

"That's impossible." Yami's eye's glazed over, his face showing no emotion. "We did a background check on her as well, only we found out a little. Tea was born and raised in New York, we've talked to her old school teachers and co-workers." Everything was quite in the room for what seemed like hours, until Ishizu burst.

"That's-that's impossible…" Ishizu stuttered out, her own eye's watering. She turned to Marik, tears pouring down her once streak free face. "Marik! Tea can't be a Duel Monster…if she was born in…New York!" Speech wasn't something Ishizu was currently able to muster, snuffles and tears replaced it. "She would have… had to have been born and raised in…Egypt!" She looked at Marik's stunned face, her sorrow quickly being replaced with anger. "Marik, you swore! You swore that it was true, and now we know it's not, what if she never wakes up? I…no!" Ishizu threw her face into her hands, not believing what had she had just realized. Tea's in a coma. She could possibly never wake up. Ishizu would never hear her laugh again, never see her with a million shopping bags in hand while every other person greeting her as she walked, Tea might never be able to give out her little tidbit's of encouragement that help people get through a miserable day. No, Tea was such a good person, she didn't deserve this!

Marik looked at his heart broken sister. They had been so sure, so sure that Tea was ok, so sure that she would lead them to the person to answer all their problems, only to find out that Tea was in fact a normal girl that somehow got mixed up in the world of dueling. He looked back up at Tea, for the first time actually seeing what was there, a girl, no, a friend who was in a state of mind that she might never manage to wake up from. They were so wrong, how could they be so wrong?

Kaiba looked at the desolated siblings. They were really counting on this weren't they? The expression on their faces pained him to ask his next question. "So then, how are we supposed to find this guy?"

Marik looked over at Kaiba, holding back his sobs. "One of two ways, they figure out who they are and somehow manages to come to us, or we track down on of the monsters and have them lead us to him."

"How do we track them down?"

"Well, we'd have to look for sketchy pasts, obsession with a certain card and someone who is always there fighting."

"That describes a lot of people." Mokuba said sadly.

"Ya, we were really counting on Tea. Listen, I need to take Ishizu back home and try to get her to calm down, ok?"

"Sure."

"Ishizu, come on, we have to go." He tried to pull her up but she wouldn't budge.

"No, I'm not leaving her." She somehow managed through her sobs.

"Ishizu, please, this is just as much a shock to me as it is to you, but we need to find this guy, maybe he can even help Tea, they are suppose to be powerful right?"

Ishizu's head shot up. "Your right, they probably could, we, we could get them to help her!" Ishizu was slowly dragged out into the lobby by her brother until they could no longer hear her voice from down the hall.

"So Kaiba, what do you think of all this?"

"I think I don't like women crying on my silk shirt." He said trying to rub off the tears that had spilt on him.

"Kaiba, I'm not kidding, you don't believe in the heart of the cards, yet this you seemed interested about, what's up?"

Kaiba sighed. "Like Ishizu pointed out, I've seen way to much to say that something doesn't exist, I'm just not going to say things like that anymore cause every time I do, something happens."

"So are you going to help find this illegitimate son then?"

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and a man stepped in. He looked to be in his mid forty's with eye's that told you he'd seen a lot. In his hand was a beat up old hat and a black umbrella, which was held on to by weathered hands. His eyes were blue and he had a hooked nose that somehow fit in with his slowly balding black hair. He looked Italian, and was over weight, but it somehow gave you a feeling of security. His eye's scanned the room till he reached the bed, when they did he looked as if he was going to break down. The man dropped to his knees, disbelief clearly written across his face. "Tea?" he squeaked out.

"Sir, do you know her?" asked Mokuba still clutching her hand in his own.

"Yes, she, um, used to live with me, sort of. Who are you?"

"My name is Mokuba Kaiba, this is my brother Seto Kaiba and this is Yugi Motto, we're friends of Tea's."

The man smiled, tears slowly forming, but he quickly wiped them away. "Mokuba…Tea talked about you a lot, it was obvious how much she loved you, and Seto Kaiba, yes, I'd occasionally get a few lectures about you as well, and Yugi, ya, I have been wanting to meet you three, just not under these circumstances." He looked back over at Tea's still form. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself now have I? My name is Mickey Zola."

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Firevixen73-Wow that was a long chapter, hope this makes up for not updating in so long. And for some reason I'm having a mental block, but what are some other Duel Monster names? I know some but the more the merrier right? Well, please review and thank you! Any questions about the story of Dueling and just ask, oh, and I have no clue about the Egyptian cotton thing, it just fit in with the story


	6. Mickey Zola's story

Firevixen73-Major thanks to Black-Angel-001 for all the Duel Monster names! Enjoy.

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Seth sat in the High Priests chair listening slightly to the conversation. He had been with Lord Darus all day and felt that he had made little to no progress. Hoping to spark even the slightest of interest inside of the man, Seth had done everything he could think of. They had been everywhere on the castle grounds and the man had only asked a few questions, many of those few being about Anzu. That was not a subject he had wanted to get into.

Seth gently massaged his temples. In fact, for the rest of the day Lord Darus would hint at questions about her, and here he was thinking that locking her up in her room was a good payback plan, it just had to backfire didn't it? It was fool proof, she would be out of the way and miserable at the same time, everyone knows Anzu absolutely lives for being social. So here he was, trying to gain trust with someone who knew little to nothing about him and one of the first things this man discovers about him was that he had enemy's in his own home, oh, and it's a woman. That's not exactly the impression he wanted to leave. Seth looked back up, trying to concentrate on what was being said, Yami was talking.

"So Lord Darus, what do you think of Egypt?" asked Yami

"It's nice for the most part, though I would like to meet some more of the people. In fact, I heard something about a Lady living in the temple." He answered calmly. "I was actually wondering what she could have done to have guards placed around her room like that, I would think she would be mighty bored."

A snicker was heard from Jyo's direction then a low, "You're right, she would have been."

Yami gave a quick glance in Seth direction, wondering what he should say. Seth was the one who had spent the day with Lord Darus, not Yami, he would know what to say around this man better then anyone else currently in the room, but Lord Darus interrupted his glance.

"I asked High Priest Seth a few times but the subject always seemed to change, maybe you can give me some insight Pharaoh Yami."

"Well," he was breaking, "Lady Anzu was placed in her room for her protection. You see, she is quite curious by nature and has a tendency for getting into trouble, and as the High Priest pointed out to me this morning, she would be safer in her room during these times of war."

"I was given the impression, by those that I met throughout the day, that she is somewhat of an icon to the people and that they completely adore her, but I was also given the impression that she is quite capable on her own."

"She is, but as I said, these are extreme circumstances." He replied honestly. Though, that was only part of the reason, the major part being he didn't want her and Seth going at it during Lord Darus's stay, and keeping Anzu out of view seemed to be his best bet. Yami soon felt a presence at his side to find a little boy standing there with three small parchments of paper in his hand. "Yes little one."

The boy made a sniffling noise and handed Pharaoh Yami one of the parchments and then walked of to High Priest Seth and handed him the other. Finally the small boy walked over to Tori and handed him a smaller piece. The little boy then bowed and quickly walked away. Yami was confused, he recognized that boy, he was the one that delivered the day's spending, telling you how much you've spent, but he didn't buy anything today. All three of them looked at each other, confusion clearly written across each of their faces.

"I am sorry Lord Darus." Tori looked over at the man. "We will open these later."

"Um, ya, I agree, in fact, you should open them when you're going to bed tonight." cut in Jyo

"Nonsense, I may be a guest here but you three still have your duties and they cannot be ignored on my account." He answered back.

"No, really, they can wait." Said Jyo frantically. If they read those list now they would immediately know who went on a shopping spree that day, and if Tori read his, he would know it was Jyo. Damn, he was hopping to intercept Tori's before he had a chance to read it. Jyo look a few steps back, trying to remember where the kitchen entrance was. Oh, right, a little to his left, a few more steps and… Jyo reached out his hand to find the entrance door already open so he quickly walked through it, hopping nobody noticed. Normally Jyo was up for a good round but once Seth figured out that he knew Tea was in town when she was suppose to be locked in her room, well, he may be the head of security but you can only take so much.

Tori looked at the paper suspiciously, how did he spend this much? You were only given a notice if you spent over a certain amount. I mean, you don't want a notice for buying a drink. Guess he should open it. When he did, his eyes went narrow, turning into small slits. "Jyo!" he grumbled. It had to be Jyo, he's the only one who could spend this much on food. He was going to get it.

Tori looked up to see Jyo's form dashing through the kitchen entrance. Tori's face was slowly turning red from anger. That was a lot of money and he was going to pound Jyo for this. He threw the paper down and drew out his sword, completely forgetting whose presence he was in. In angry and furious strides he marched over to the entrance. "Jyo, get your slimy ass back here!" he yelled as he ran through the door.

"What?" Asked Yami, he then opened up his own parchment and read the contents, his own eyes widening from shock.

Seth looked at his own parchment, which happened to be noticeably longer than both Yami and Jyo's. Opening it up he immediately realized what happened. Anzu, he was going to drown her in that stupid fountain for this, but how the hell did she spend all this? Wasn't she in her room?

Just as Tori forgot himself, so did Pharaoh Yami and High Priest Seth.

Yami looked at the nearest guard. "Go get-"

"-Lady Anzu." finished Seth

The guard quickly ran out of the now very dangerous throne room. The looks of both Yami and Seth were enough to send the living dead back to their graves. Seth could vaguely here the mans footsteps running through the halls, he didn't care, she was dead.

"So, now were meeting Lady Anzu?" asked Lord Darus, still curious as to who could get under the High Priests skin so deep.

"She's dead." Answered Seth, furious about how much of his money she had spent. Well, she hadn't actually spent that much, she was an amazing bargain shopper, but the fact was that she had spent _his_ money, not her own, but _his. _"Damn," he yelled to another guard, "go get my sharpened sword, I'm slicing her head off here and now."

The guard was confused, he didn't know what to do. "No, don't." answered the Pharaoh, he turned to Seth. "We're not going to kill her. We don't even know if she's the one who decided to go on a shopping spree, or are you forgetting that Jyo skipped out of the room, besides, Anzu has been in her room all day, or are you forgetting about the guards as well?"

"You're telling me, that Jyo spent five gold pieces on hair accessories?"

"Well, um…"

Suddenly the doors burst open and in stepped a vibrant Tea. Seth looked at her as menacingly as he could, which was pretty frightening, but she just smiled and walked over in their direction, as if nothing in the world mattered. "Hello, you must be Lord Darus, I'm sorry that we didn't have the chance to meet sooner, but I am glad we are able now, my name is Anzu." She smiled warmly at the man.

Lord Darus smiled as well; glad to finally meet the young woman he had heard so much about. "I am glad as well, my Lady." He placed a gentle kiss on her small hand. "Though, these circumstances don't seems to be the best, apparently Pharaoh Yami and High Priest Seth wish a word with you."

Tea spared a glance over in the said two's direction, giving a wicked smile. "Oh, don't worry about them, they're just mad that I spent so much money while shopping today."

Seth's mouth would have dropped, if it already hadn't two minutes ago. Lord Darus had barely said more than a few sentences all day and here Anzu was talking to him like they had known each other for ages. Not only that, but she flat out admitted that she's the one who spent all their money.

"Wait, it really was you Anzu?" asked Yami, Seth was glad someone had asked.

"Yes, why, is there a problem with one of my delivery's?" she asked innocently

"Anzu!" Yami said demandingly

"Oh, let me guess, you're mad. Well don't expect any type of apology from me, all I have to say it that it serves you right."

Seth finally managed to get his bearings back "What? And how the hell did you get out of your room? There is no way the guards let you through, I sure as hell paid them enough not to."

Tea's eyes glared dangerously. "What the hell do you mean, 'what?' Did you actually think I wasn't going to be pissed at you for locking me in my room like that? Did you actually think I wasn't going to get even?"

"Not the point, the point is, is that your switching everything over to your account and your paying me back." He paused thinking about something, "and your going to be locked in your room again tomorrow to make up for today," he paused again, "and I'm placing more guards."

"Fine, but only if you want to have an even bigger bill." She spat back "And next time I won't barter the price down, I'll take their first offer. Lets see, so instead of three silver pieces _you'll _be paying eight. Wow Seth, that really is a deal breaker."

Yami intervened. "Ok, but why do _I_ have a bill, you could have just gotten _him_ back."

"You agreed with him!" She yelled, making him cringe from the amount of resentment rolling off her words towards him.

"This is low." Argued Seth, still not finished with Anzu.

"Low? Low? So it's low for me to get back at the man who locked me in my room for hours at a time just because I made him a little late for a meeting?"

"A little late? You freaking poured grape juice down my head!"

"You pushed me in the fountain, you know the really deep one with slime fish swimming all around you. I was soaked for hours!"

"You didn't do what I told you to."

"You told your brother I had fleas."

"You're annoying." He stated

"You're demanding." She crossed her arms as if to prove her point

"You're defiant." He argued

"Your self-centered."

"You were born." He argued

"You were conceived." She bickered back

"You-" Damn, he didn't have anything to say to that one, what tops 'you were conceived?'

"Guards!" he yelled, overly ready to have them throw her back into her room. Just because he currently couldn't think up a proper insult didn't mean he was done, but Tea interrupted.

"Yes, guards, thank you. Take him away." She smiled wickedly while pointing to Seth.

"What?" asked the guards

Tea was glad the guards had decided to move outside, they could probably only make out the different voice tones, not any actually words. "Yes, take him away. I'm not positive but I think he's an imposter. That's not the real High Priest."

"What?"

"Well, he just complemented me, the High Priest would never do that, he'd rather die than do that."

The guards looked at each other. "That's true, he'd never do that." Said one of them. "What'd he say?"

"That his life would have been meaningless if I hadn't been born." The guards faces dropped in horror, this man had to be an imposter if he said that.

"Did not!" yelled Seth

"Sorry, but we're going to have to take you, precautions and all. We are in the middle of a war." Spoke the other guard as they grabbed Seth's arms and started to haul him off.

Yami desperately followed, trying to get them to release his High Priest. "No really, he's the High Priest."

Tea listened until she could no longer hear Seth's promises to kill her and his demands that he be let go. Sure that was more of a drastic move but he was really out of line, it's not like she spent that much, and he was being meaner than normal, and that was really saying something. She looked up at the man in front of her. "Well, now that that's over with, I would enjoy a nice stroll in the garden. Some piece and quite will be nice after the noise of the town. Maybe I'll have a small picnic, I know you're a busy man and everything but would you like to join me Lord Darus? I would rather enjoy the company and would love to hear some stories from your lands."

"I wish I could my Lady but I still have much to do before I go to sleep, but some other time?" He answered, a large smile on his face.

"Of course, I would absolutely love that." She started to walk off but Lord Darus voice stopped her.

"Lady Anzu, what about the High Priest?"

She turned around. "Oh, don't worry, I'll go down in a bit and talk to the guards. Sometimes Seth just needs to be reprimanded, he's just so brutal sometimes. I mean, to me yes, all the time, but I'm used to it, but he says a lot of things to other people that he shouldn't and if I don't give him a hard time no one will. He's grown up with the notion that he's, in a way, better. That's why I never let anything pass, even if it's slight, someone has to bring him down to earth. If I were you I would just feel glad that I've been able to get this far with him, you should have seen him two years ago."

"So what do you honestly think of him Anzu?"

Tea immediately noticed the drop in formalities. "Personally, I think he's an arrogant, egotistical, demanding, predator of a man that needs to go back to kindergarten to learn how to treat others."

"No good qualities?"

Tea smiled. "I never said that."

"Mind telling me what you think they are?"

She smiled wickedly once again. "Aren't you busy?"

The man smiled, she was smart. "Extremely, and should probably be working on my report right now, but my instincts are telling me to come, and besides, I would rather enjoy a relaxing evening out in the gardens, it would be a nice change of pace."

Tea reached out her hand for him to grab. "Alright then, well stop by the kitchens and tell them what we would like, in the mean time, we'll take that walk."

"I like that plan, perhaps we can pick up some fresh bread rolls as well. They are my absolute favorite." He added with a smile, and glint of humor sparkling in his eyes.

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Seto Kaiba stared at the three people in front of him. First there was Mokuba, who had a huge smile on his face, it was like his birthday had magically appeared or something. Then there was Yugi; he had that same determined look on his face, like when he was dueling. He wasn't exactly sure why but Yugi always looked different when dueling then at everyday life, he just looked older and, he wasn't completely sure, just, less innocent. He turned his head. Then there was this man, Mickey Zola, the man that Gardner supposedly knew, and who could hopefully give them some answers. Kaiba hated to admit it but he was utterly fascinated with Gardner's hidden life. He found himself wanting to know more, having to. It was just fascinating all around, but like he said earlier, he was just now barely admitting it to himself, he wasn't about to say it out loud.

"So your really Mickey Zola?" Asked Mokuba, drawing Seto out of his state of mind.

"Yes, I was worried about Tea, she hadn't answered any of her phone calls, messages, e-mails or letters for over a week. And considering that at least three people from back home call her a day, well that's reason enough for concern, but then I remembered her telling me that she was going to the doctors about headaches as well, that combined with my instincts drove me to come." He took a sip of his coffee.

The four had decided that it would be best if they spoke outside of the hospital, and Mokuba, remembering the coffee shop Tea would always take him to, suggested this place, so here they were in the back room, sitting on soft cashmere couches sipping coffee and hot chocolate.

"You must really care about her." Yami spoke with pure sincerity and understandment.

"Ya, I do," he looked over at the window, it was snowing. "She may not be my blood daughter, but she's one by heart." He walked up and over to the window, then reached for the drapes closing them. He walked back over to his seat on the couch, and sat down, not bothering to look back out the window.

"So, do you know anything about Tea's birth parents?" Asked Mokuba

The man shook his head. "Any information about them would be locked inside Tea mind. She would never say anything about them, trust me, we tried." Kaiba saw him make another glance at the window, even though he had just closed the drapes. Kaiba could have sworn he saw a slight smile cross his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't ask, would you like those open, it's kind of just habit."

"What is?" asked Yami

"Closing the drapes like that. Tea was never really big when it came to the heavy blizzards." He answered back, still smiling. He took another sip of his coffee and leaned back into his seat, as if remembering something.

"Ya, she isn't is she." Whispered Mokuba, Kaiba saw the man's eyes open slightly to look at Mokuba, his smile gone. "Though, she never said why."

Mickey sat back up. "No, she wouldn't have. It's not a pleasant memory for her, that much I know."

"What isn't pleasant?" asked Yami

"The snow."

"Why?" asked Yami, once again.

"I don't know if it's my place to tell. That's her story, not mine."

"Please, the only way we can help her is if we figure out what's wrong." Mokuba looked up at the plump man in front of him. Why wouldn't he tell them this? What was going on?

"Alright, though I only know part of it, what happened before I really have no clue, and I never had the heart to ask Tea." He sighed and walked over to the window, pulling up the drapes. He looked outside for a few minutes then closed his eyes, obviously remembering that night. "It was cold, and blizzarding…

_Mickey Zola sat in his kitchen by the heater. He was in his mid thirties, short black hair and a round stomach. He looked over at the clock on the wall, then back over to stove. Ten more minutes and the lasagna would be done, then he could finally eat. Ya, a guy cooking, weird right? Actually not, he owned his own restaurant, an Italian one. It was small, could hold a maximum of 60 people, but it was all he could afford. It was actually a pretty good deal, upstairs was where he lived, in a small one bedroom while downstairs was were he worked, fulfilling his dream of, being a cook. To bad that dream didn't come with a batter paycheck._

_He looked back over at the clock, nine minutes and forty-five seconds. Ok, so this wasn't working. He stood up and stretched his legs. "I'll just check and make sure all the lights are off, I can barely pay my bills at it is, this weather is going to kill me."_

_He walked around to the back door first, glancing outside. Just looking gave him goose bumps. He felt sorry for anything out there. It wasn't just cold, and it wasn't just snowing, it was blizzarding. It was the kind of wet snow that would leave your bones chilled for hours, he would know, earlier he had to go out to bolt his upstairs window. The wind was so harsh that it knocked off the bolts that kept the window in place. He couldn't even see his hand in front of him when he was outside, and even with all the layers of clothing he had on, he was still cold._

_Slowly making his way to the front he noticed that the porch light was on. He must of left it on in case people were out walking and couldn't see. That was before, but now the bills would sky rocket. He walked over to the switch and flicked it off, but the light didn't turn off. He tried again, but nothing happened. Damn, something must be blocking the wire signal. He quickly debated on what to do. Going outside and check, in the freezing weather or keep it on till the storm stops and end up getting kicked out cause you couldn't pay the bills, therefore sleeping outside in the freezing weather. Well, not debate there._

_Mickey quickly grabbed his gear. Gloves, hat, mask, boots, coat, scarf, sweater and blankets, oh, and glasses. No point in getting out there and having yourself pelted in the eye. All right deep breath, Mickey opened up the door slightly, only to have it swung open by the force of the wind, blowing pounds of snow into his restaurant. Quickly shutting the door he looked around. All right, now where was that wire, he dropped to his knee's and started searching with his hands. Finally he found it and yanked it out from under something, he wasn't sure what but was guessing a bag of trash, people always leave there garbage on other peoples property. _

_The light was still on, due to that fact that he needed to turn the switch back off inside, so he stood up and turned, only to find himself back on his knees. He looked over to see that his feet had tripped over something. It looked like a bag of trash underneath all the snow, but trash wasn't that heavy. Whatever it was was at least 45 pounds. He brushed the snow off, only to back up in terror. It was a girl, she looked so small and frail, she couldn't have been older then nine._

_Mickey quickly grabbed her small form and ran inside, barley remembering to shut the door. Running into the kitchen, the warmest part of the entire place, he placed her next to the furnace. Throwing off his winter clothes he ran upstairs and grabbed his comforter. His mom had gotten it for him about three years ago and it was the warmest thing he had. Quickly rapping it around her petite frame he checked for a pulse. He relaxed a bit when he felt one, she was still alive, amazingly enough. It was comforting to know that the weather had just put her into a temporary sleep, instead of a permanent one. _

_He then reached over and felt her hands. She was freezing! He looked closer to see her skin was pale white and her lips were blue, small icicles were hanging from her hair. Damn, he put another blanket over her and raced over for a bucket and warm water. Hurrying back he unwrapped her from the comforter and placed her feet in it, hoping to warm up her body. Now that he was breathing semi-normally he took another look. She had one sock, which was way to big, on her left foot and what looked to be an oversized shirt. Her hair was what looked to be brown, though he couldn't tell because it was as if the cold had drained the very life out of her. Her arm was bent in a weird direction, as were various fingers. Her right foot had wrapped around it, what looked to be a tight bandage of used gauze, which was also bent awkwardly. He turned her over a bit to see bruises and cuts randomly placed on her white skin._

_Terrified, he ran back upstairs to grab his warmest clothes, only to find some sweat pants and a sweater. He couldn't find his oversized sweatshirt anywhere. He ran back down to see no change in her appearance, still as white as ever. Throwing the clothes on her he wrapped her back up in the comforter and refilled the now cold water with warm. A beeping sound was suddenly heard, ringing throughout the kitchen, he looked up at the timer to see that his lasagna was done. He took another look at the girl then reached over and turned it off. Grabbing the hot pads he opened the stove and pulled out the dish. He could feel the warpath soaking through them. Realizing how warm they were he held on a bit longer then placed them on her cheeks. When he could feel the chill of her skin returning he warmed them back up and placed them back on her face._

_After about 15 minutes worth of trying to keep her alive he looked down to see a slight rosary tint on her cheeks and the brown color of her hair returning. He took a deep sigh and leaned back into the wall. Deciding that he couldn't really do more for her then keep her warm he tightened the comforter around her and carried her upstairs, hopping the comfort of his bed would revive her. Not that it was great, in all actuality it was a piece of crap but it was better than a hard floor._

_Mickey woke the next morning to a banging noise. He groggily opened his eyes to see his door practically being beat down. Was the wind really that strong?_

"_Damit Mickey! Open the fucking door." Screamed a voice_

"_Ya Zola, maybe you haven't noticed but it's cold outside!" Screamed another_

_Wait, wind doesn't talk, and those voices sounded vaguely familiar. He quickly walked over to see two of his friends standing in the back, looking as if they were going to kill. Opening the door, he realized why there were mad, it was still blizzarding outside. The two quickly ran in, helping him pushing the door shut._

"_It may not be like last night, but that doesn't mean it's sunny out." Said a five foot nine woman with long red hair; she looked to be in her early twenties. "Now where's this girl?"_

"_Huh?" Then it hit him, he had called them last night not knowing what to do. "She's upstairs in my room Cassandra."_

_The red haired woman immediately headed over to the stairs and was soon out of sight. Cassandra was a neighbor from a few building downs, but was surprisingly mature for her age, 23. Though, when you grow up in places like this, you kind of need to grow up fast. She and Mickey had met at the grocery store, he was there shopping for some tomatoes, on his way home he took a short cut only to find a young woman about to be raped. He immediately rushed over to help, and fortunately managed to scare the man off, not without a black eye on his part but he could have done worse to the woman. They talked a bit and found out that they lives surprisingly close to each other, ever since that day they had been friends._

"_Do you think she'll be alright Daniel?" he turned to his best friend, his eyes pleading. His name was Daniel Crane and he owned a body shop just down the block. The two had actually gone to school together, you know how in every school there's the best friends who were always getting in trouble, well that had most definitely been them._

"_I don't know, you didn't exactly make sense on the telephone last night." He answered_

_Mickey slouched down in his chair. "I'm sorry about that. I couldn't sleep the entire night either, I spent the entire time cooking, I didn't fall asleep till a few hours ago."_

_Daniel looked around to see what looked like every type of dish he had ever seen his best friend make. He looked over, Mickey looked horrible, then again he couldn't blame him. "Listen, if anyone can save this girl it's Cassandra, she is in nursing school."_

_Mickey gave a slight laugh. "Ya, that's comforting, and how many years has she been studying, four, she had just enrolled when I met her. Isn't it only supposed to take three years?" _(Firevixen73-I have no clue about this, just guessing.)

"_Hey, I do have a job you know!"_

_They both turned around to see Cassandra standing in the doorway, arms crossed her hair matching her red face._

"_Working two jobs and trying to push in Night School isn't easy Zola!"_

_Mickey saw Daniel trying to prevent himself from laughing, and not doing a very good job at it._

"_Shut up Crane!" She yelled_

"_So how's the girl, she going to live?" Cut in Mickey before she had a chance to chew there heads off. He saw her sigh, and her shoulder slouch down a bit. That was not a good sign._

"_Lets so upstairs." She spoke quietly. Together, the three of them headed up to the room where the sleeping girl was. The room was dimly lit, casting a small shadow over her face. Cassandra turned around and looked at the two men looking expectantly at her._

"_She'll live, but…" She trailed off looking over to the stairs._

"_But what?" He was scared, what could be wrong?_

"_The girl is going to need some serious medical attention. She had a broken ankle, a couple of bruised ribs, a broken elbow and four broken fingers. Those cuts on her back are deep, I'm guessing glass, from some of the shards I managed to pull out. Those bruises aren't to bad, recent though, that's why they look so horrible, but nothing a few days won't heal. In all honesty Mickey, it's amazing she's not dead, I don't know how but she's alive. Just heating her up like you did shouldn't have kept her from dying, anyone else would have had to be in intensive care for weeks on end just to get in the condition she's in now." She looked up. "Those bills aren't going to be cheap Zola, you can't afford them."_

"_How much?"_

"_Mickey…"_

"_How much?"_

_She sighed. "I don't know, at least 90 grand for just the hospital trip. That's not including pain killers, therapy, over night stays and all the other crap there going to charge you for!"_

"_I'll take out a loan."_

"_What!" Both his friends yelled in shock._

"_It's not like I can throw her back out in to the street guys, and an orphanage wouldn't have that type of money either. Maybe once she's better we can contact her family."_

_Daniel looked at his best friend since the fourth grade, when they bumped into each other, each on there way to put a worm into the teacher's water. "No Mickey, you won't take out a loan."_

"_Daniel-"but he was cut off_

"_I will. You already have a loan on this place, I doubt they'd give you another one with your credit. I on the other hand have great credit."_

"_I agree." This time it was Cassandra. "I work at the hospital, I can get a discount on the price. I'm also a nurse so I can take care of therapy and any over night stays she would need at the hospital will be at my house, though she's probably going to need to survive on IB Profin, cause I doubt there going to let me take a bottle of pain killers free of charge."_

_He sighed; he couldn't let his friends do this. "Guys."_

"_No Mickey." Daniel cut him off again. "Even if I wanted to back out I wouldn't." he looked over at the small girl breathing slightly heavily on the bed. "Besides, there's something about this girl that I like." He said with a small smirk._

"_You haven't even met her." Cassandra added_

"_So? You can tell from her face that there's something different about her, something that draws you to her. I feel different, protective."_

"_Ok, then, you're the over protective Uncle." Stated Cassandra while pointing at Daniel. "I'm the crazy but incredibly hip Aunt," she was pointing at herself, then turned to Mickey, "and you're the Step father that took her in because you're the guy that cares to much for his own good. Setteled? Setteled." Mickey had to laugh, he had always had a good relationship with his step-dad, actually a lot better than with his real dad, so when he was younger he declared that he wasn't going to be a dad but a step dad, cause they were nicer._

"_How did you know about that?" he asked_

"_Well…um, I called Daniel last night wondering what we should do about the girl, and we figured this was going to happen, or at least something like this so…" Her eyes sunk to the floor._

"_So you two have had this planned out from the begging, you were just waiting for my line?" he finished_

"_Kinda."_

_He smiled again at his two friends. "Thanks."_

_Daniel nodded while Cassandra walked over to the sleeping girl, tucking her in tighter. "She's beautiful." Spoke Cassandra silently._

_Mickey looked over. "She's going to be hard to keep the boys away from."_

_Daniel nodded in agreement once again. "I'm sure your mom's still got that old metal bat, and I've got a lot of old crow bars hanging around the shop too." The two bachelors smiled, but Cassandra didn't._

"_You two know there is a chance that she has parents right?"_

"_Ya well until they come, she's ours." _

_Suddenly there was a movement on the bed. The three looked over to see bright vibrant blue eyes looking at them. They were mesmerizing, as if holding secrets that the world would never know. There she laid, the small girl with brown hair and natural read high lights, staring at them. Then her eyes locked on Zola, as if she was peering into his very soul. The two stayed like that for what seemed like eternity until her mouth started to move. At first words didn't come out, the girl closed her mouth once again and swallowed, ready to try again. "T-thank you."_

_Her voice was heavenly, he didn't know why but it was. Even after everything this girl had obviously been through she still carried a sense of innocence around, the kind that could never be tainted. "Your welcome."_

_The girl smiled, and with that the whole room lit up, as if being covered with that purity residing inside of her. "What's your name?" asked Cassandra_

_The girl looked at the tall red head, but didn't say anything; her eyes went a little wide, as if in shock. Mickey followed her gaze to see that the window was open. It was snowing again, as if reading her thoughts he walked over and shut the drapes. Daniel walked over to the other one and shut that as well. Meanwhile Cassandra leaned over to the mug of hot chocolate and handed it to the girl. "It's alright, we understand, you don't have to tell us, yet anyway. You went through a lot and were lucky Mickey found you."_

_The girl looked strait at Mickey, no body was sure why since Cassandra hadn't pointed out to her which one Mickey was, yet somehow she knew. He just smiled and held out his hand pointing to the respective people. "I'm Mickey Zola, this is Daniel Crane and this is Cassandra White, hopefully we can help fix you up. I don't know how you've been getting around with all those injuries, but hopefully you wont have to anymore. None of us have very much money to pay the bills so we cant really take you in right away, but as soon as we can get the loan we plan on it k?"_

_The girl just looked in shock at the three in front of her. Daniel looked over at the girl, he could tell she was frightened, but was calmed by Mickey's words. "Don't worry kid, we'll make sure you get better, in the mean time get some rest, well bring in some food too." He then turned around and grabbed his defiant friends._

"_What are you doing?" Whispered Cassandra on their way out._

"_Agreed, what are you doing, we need to talk to her, try to calm her down." Added Mickey_

_Daniel shook his head. "No, right now the girl needs time to figure everything we just said out, and I'm sure she's starving."_

"_But-"_

"_Umm…" They had reached the door but stopped when they heard the girl's voice, turning around they looked at her. "Tea, my name it's Tea."_

_Mickey smiled, "Alright, we'll be right up with some nice hot foot, God knows I've got a room full of it down stairs." The three then turned around smiling, knowing that if she did stay, she would make a great addition._

"She did stay too, we were never able to locate any of her family. She told us her last name was Gardner but no one in the records had that name, then again we didn't try as hard as we could have." Mickey Zola looked down at his now cold coffee, swirling it a bit in his mug.

Kaiba didn't know what to say, all this time he had pictured Tea as some happy, lovesick girl who had had to much love as a kid which lead her to believe the world was all rainbows and clouds, only to find out it was the exact opposite. Never in a million years would he have guessed this about Tea, never.

"That's why, that's why she took in so many strays isn't it?" He looked up to see his brother surprisingly tear free, looking at Mickey.

Mickey smiled. "Yes, I'm sure that was part of it, back home she would take in animals and work day and night to find them homes, though I'm betting that part of it is, is that it's Tea's nature to help creatures that need it."

"Ya, that sounds like Tea, still, I can't believe this." Yami looked in complete and utter shock. "I just don't understand why she never told me any of this."

"Tea, contrary to popular belief is pretty private. If you knew, would you have treated her differently? Tea is complicated, not once in all the years I've known her have I figured out what she is truly thinking, but I do know one thing, she does not like is pity."

"Well…but…I might have…alright you have a point but-"

"But Tea telling you her past is not your decision, it's hers." With that one statement the conversation was finished. Mickey Zola had for the first time that day shown the parent strictness that comes with raising a child.

"Um, Zola, where will you be staying?" Asked Mokuba

"I figured a motel or something. I know there is no way I could manage a night at Tea's with out her there."

"Well, would you like to stay at our house, we have enough room, and that's where all of Tea's animals are." Mokuba looked at the man expectantly.

"I don't know."

"You can stay at my house, it's not a problem." The three occupants looked over at Kaiba, each asking themselves the same question. Did Seto Kaiba really just say that?

Mickey smiled, giving out a short laugh, he got up and brushed his clothes off. "Alright, if the legendary 'rich arrogant snob' as Tea so nicely puts it, is asking me to stay at his house then I don't think I can decline."

Mokuba laughed. "Ya, that is her favorite name for big brother isn't it."

"Among other things."

Mokuba laughed again.

"Alright, lets go before I regain my senses and call this whole thing off. We'll see you tomorrow Yugi." Kaiba grabbed his coat and walked out the door to his limo.

Yami was shocked, no, stunned, no, traumatized. Had Seto Kaiba just been nice to him? Had, had he said good-bye? No way, he must have been hearing things. "I'll um, see you two around." Yami waved good-bye to Mickey and Mokuba, still in a daze.

Mokuba headed out to the limo as well, right after Yami, then turned around. "You coming Mickey? Big Brother doesn't really wait, well, for anyone."

"Coming." He grabbed his bag and headed for the door, a twinkle in his eyes.

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Firevixen73- Total information chapter! Though don't stop reading, don't you want to know about what happened to Tea before she made it to Mickey's house, or how she grew up, what about the bills. So many questions, you'll just have to read, and I don't know why but I felt like Mickey really suits this guy for a name. It juts sounds comforting and that's the kind of character I wanted him to be. So, any questions? That I can answer? Because you can't ask me what's going to happen for two reasons, one that's cheating two I'm not completely sure but I do have an rough idea, it's just figuring out all the details. And can you believe school is back in session! Hope you liked the story, and if you're in school, hope it brought at least a little comfort compared to the torture referred to as class. I have to get up so early! All right, my ranting is done. Please Review.


	7. I don't love her!

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Firevixen73- Hey everyone, here is your update and thank you to all my readers and everyone who reviews, imaginary ice cream for all of you! Or better yet, go down to your freezers and take out the ice cream, them a piece of paper and pen, then write, 'Firevixen73 gives this to you', yes I like that idea, maybe I'll do that for myself too._

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Tea sat in a large comfortable chair, legs dangling over the end, due to her weird position, as she looked over a few hieroglyphics. It was weird, she could understand them perfectly, I mean, sure she had studied it a bit when she had learned some more about the millennium items, but not enough for the clarity she now had. It was as if it was her native language, but she knew she had never seen over half of these symbols before.

"This is so strange, I wonder if this is how Yami feels everyday?"

* * *

"Thank you for everything Pharaoh Yami, my stay was excellent, and I learned a lot." Lord Darus looked at the five men staring at him questioningly.

"Funny, I had the impression he _wasn't _having a good time." Grumbled Captain of the Guard, Jyo.

"Quit the contrary Lord Jyo." Said a smiling Lord Darus.

Jyo's head shot up, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You could hear that?"

"Yes."

"Oops…"

"No worries, I find your flaws amusing."

"Oh…wait?"

High Priest Seth decided that they couldn't afford Jyo to do anything to stupid, well, as much as can be prevented. "Thank you for coming Lord Darus, and we hope to have your nations support in the upcoming war."

"You will if I have anything to say about it, there is no way I can ever let anything happen to Lady Anzu, if it can be prevented."

Yami nearly choked on the wine that he was drinking when Lord Darus said that, for two reasons, one, he was almost positive Lord Darus did not enjoy his stay, while, two, what did Anzu do _now_? He glanced around to see Jyo and Tori staring at Lord Darus as if he was crazy and then Seth, well, disgust and confusion radiated off of him. Yami finally looked over at Mekubo, who, was grinning ear to ear. "Did you just say you were going to support us?"

"That I did, one because this really is a beautiful country that is fighting for righteousness, and two, well, like I was saying earlier, Lady Anzu touched my heart. Her simple love for the people and their well being in itself was enough to catch my attention. She was also so honest, and had no problem telling me what was on her mind, I really respect that in a person, especially in a woman, it's so rare."

Jyo's mouth was slack. When? What? Where? But most importantly how? "Mind explaining that, especially the 'what was on her mind' part."

"Simple, I would just ask her what she though of things, for instance, I believe my first question was what she thought about the High Priest over here, now that was an interesting conversation." The man chuckled a bit, leaving a small eco throughout the room.

Tori sighed, "I'm scared to ask, but what exactly did she say."

"The truth."

"And that was?" Asked the now extremely curious Pharaoh

"That he is an arrogant, egotistical, demanding, predator of a man that needs to go back to kindergarten to learn how to treat others."

"And that got you to change your mind?" asked Jyo "I mean, we all know that's true, but, that's what changed your mind? Seth's jerkiness?"

"Did you ask her about the mutt here too?" Seth looked at Jyo as if he was ready to put a muzzle on him that very moment.

"Yes actually I did ask her and she did answer, but, that's not important, what is important is what she said after that. When I asked her if Seth had any good qualities."

Mekubo looked at Lord Darus, was he telling the truth? She had never said anything good about his brother before, at least to him. "Anzu said something nice about big brother? What was it?"

Lord Darus looked at the little boy in front of him. The small boy with unruly black hair looked as if he was scared to death he was about to wake up from a dream. He couldn't exactly blame him, it was obvious Anzu and Seth didn't get along, they fought constantly. The entire time he was here everyone did everything they possibly could to keep those two out of the same room. Mekubo's world obviously revolved around those two and it probably wasn't easy thinking that the two people he loved most hated each other. "That she did, she told me how he was determined, and smart, resourceful as well, but most of all, he was loyal and honest."

Lord Darus went down on his knees, making himself eyelevel with Mekubo. "I asked how she knew all these things and you know what she said?"

Mekubo shook his head.

"She said, because of you. That he would do anything to protect you, and that was all the proof that she would ever need."

Mekubo's eyes were brimming with tears, he was desperately trying to hold them in, but failing miserably. "She really said that? My Anzu, really said that?"

"That she did, and it was after that, that I really started to take a look around this place, that is what changed my mind."

"Wait a minute." Everybody turned and looked at Jyo. "Anzu, said that, about Seth?"

"Yes, and I must say, upon closer examination she was absolutely right, about all of you, which is why you shall have my support, and hopefully my Lords' as well. But I wouldn't worry about that, all I'm going to have to do is talk about Anzu's and Seth's relationships and it's practically decided."

"Wait?" Seth took a step forward, he was still trying to comprehend that Anzu said something nice, about him, but this was just as important and had to be clarified. "What relationship? I assure you, Anzu and I hate each other, we are not in a relationship or any form of one."

Lord Darus smiled. "Yes, the best ones start off that way, with utter hate. My Lord and Lady started off that way as well, they hated each other to the very depths of their cores, and did everything to make the other persons life absolute hell, but look at them now, thirty-five years later and still in love. Mainly because they can keep each other on their toes, never giving love a reason to retreat."

"Your not suggesting I love that, that, _her_ do you?" Seth's face looked as if he was ready to throw up from the mere thought of it.

"Oh, no, of course not."

"Ya, that better be the damn answer you give." Seth turned around and walked off to his room, murmuring about crazy old men's insanities and how they should be locked in a room to keep the sane people safe. He was to busy ranting to here the old man's next comment.

"At least not yet anyway, but it will happen, I think I just made sure of it."

Yami looked at Lord Darus, maybe the guy was crazy. He looked up to see a team of horses ride up to them. "Your escort is here Lord Darus, but if you don't mind my asking, why would that persuade your Lord and Lady?"

Lord Darus pulled himself up onto the middle horse. "Because they will want constant updates on how it's going between them, and in all honesty, will probably want to meet their younger selves, perhaps interfere a bit, god knows I did enough of that between them. I may not look it but I'm in my sixties."

"Thank you, but I really don't think that's going to happen."

"Perhaps, but you never know." With that Lord Darus rode off into the sunrise, leaving those he left in the dust to ponder what he had hinted on. So with that last puzzle he rode towards his home, his escort closely surrounding him.

* * *

"This is so damn weird." Tea looked at another hieroglyphic. "How am I doing this? I mean, I know I shouldn't be this fascinated with something so small, and I know I've seen weirder, but, how am I doing this?"

A sudden burst of wind came rushing through the balcony, scattering everything through out the room. Tea had to cover her eyes to prevent herself from being blinded. Along with the wind there was an incredibly immense and blinding glare from the sun. Tea slowly opened her eyes to see a winged creature standing in front of her. No damn way…no Damn WAY!

"Mai?" It came out as a whisper, but was loud and clear in her mind, almost deafening.

"Anzu? Anzu!" The winged being in front of her ran over and scooped Tea in her arms, lifting her up off the ground. "I'm so glad your back to normal, of course it happened when I'm gone, why did I agree to that scouting mission?"

Tea still couldn't believe it, here was Mai, holding her, well that part she could believe but the whole wings thing was where she was getting messed up.

Mai placed her down back onto solid ground. "Here, stand over here, I know I saw you three weeks ago but that glow is back on your face, I so did miss that girl. So just stand over here in the light where I can get a good look. Tea obliged, still stunned. Mai scanned her, so did Tea.

Mai was different, completely. Not only did she have wings but her nails turned into claws, large ones, and her outfit was completely different, yes it was purple, but it was like an ancient type of battle armor. The first layer was a purple cloth, but over it resided gold armor in the form of a skirt, then was the top, which was similar. On her arms and legs sat shin and wrist guards. Mai's eyes were different too, they were still large, yet narrow at the same time and her hair, it was so strange. It was blonde, but when the sun would hit it it would change colors, red, blue, it was all there. Tea could see pointed ears peaking out from her helmet, which covered half her face, leaving her eyes and mouth visible, while various tattoos ran over her skin. The helmet continued down the middle of her face, stopping at her nose, but it spread out into a beak, giving off the look of a bird. Around her waist was a whip and a sword, and that's when it hit her.

"_I mean really, we've had two full moons since you've left your room, the only people who get a glimpse of you are Mekubo or Harpy."_

"_I just really like Harpy Lady Tea, I just feel like I can relate to her, almost as if she's a part of me."_

Mai was Harpy Lady.

Mira had told her that she only let Mekubo and Harpy in, while in her time, Mai told her why she felt a pull to Harpy Lady, because she could relate, she felt like Harpy was a part of her. That would be because she was Harpy Lady in a past life. No, that couldn't be it, the Yami in her time said everyone is where they are for a reason, and if Mai is there could that mean that…no, that couldn't be it, she still wasn't Harpy, was she?

"Anzu? Hey you there? Don't make me get another bucket of water girl."

Mai was still Mai, no matter what time she happened to be in. "Ya, I'm um, here, besides, Seth already beat you there. So how was your, scouting mission was it?"

"Oh, that, well we ran into a bit of trouble-" Harpy looked at Tea, suddenly stopping in mid sentence, worry and regret plastered all over her face. "But everyone's fine, don't worry about it, in fact, just pretend I didn't say anything at all."

Ok, that was weird, what was with the sudden change of topic. "Alright, so um, anything else new?"

"Um, no, not besides you, after I heard about your recovery I flew over here as if the gods themselves were behind me. Anzu you're my best friend, one of my only friends, you of all people should know how hard it is for me to trust others, especially humans, don't ever do that to me again. And don't ever expect a speech like this again so relish in the moment."

"I missed you."

"I missed you more."

* * *

Seth walked down the hall to his room, he needed a cold bath. He didn't care if he had things he needed to do, this was more important. He just couldn't get what Lord Darus had said out of his head, and now Mekubo was walking around with this stupid smile on his face. That smile was mocking him, he didn't know why, but it was.

"Anzu? Hey you there? Don't make me get another bucket of water girl."

Wasn't that Harpy's voice? Was she back already? But she wasn't supposed to be back for another three days. Seth walked over towards the small opening where he could hear Harpy's voice.

"Ya, I'm um, here, besides, Seth already beat you there. So how was your, scouting mission was it?"

That was Anzu's voice, and why the hell was she talking about him? Oh, wait, water, bucket, oh, she's talking about the fountain. Why was she talking about that? Why was she talking about him?

"Oh, that, well we ran into a bit of trouble-" There was a short pause before she spoke again. "But everyone's fine, don't worry about it, in fact, just pretend I didn't say anything at all."

Harpy really was an idiot some times, not that it mattered to him what Anzu did or anything. It was just Mekubo he was worried about. A sudden image of Anzu's wet body springing up from the fountain came to his head. Her clothes clinging to her like a second skin, water droplets running down her wet form-stop it Seth. He shook his head, why the hell did that surface, it's not like he found her attractive or anything.

"Alright, so um, anything else new?"

You mean besides the war Anzu? And I thought you were dumb before.

"Um, no, not besides you, after I heard about your recovery I flew over here as if the gods themselves were behind me. Anzu you're my best friend, one of my only friends, you of all people should know how hard it is for me to trust others, especially humans, don't ever do that again. And don't ever expect a speech like this again so relish in the moment."

No wonder she was here so early, but this confession scene was weird. He knew Harpy wasn't big on trust, hell, she was still sometimes skeptical about Mekubo, so why would she trust Anzu so willingly? What was so special that made Harpy put aside her battle worn shields?

"Big brother? Watcha doin' standing outside of Anzu's door?"

Seth's heart momentarily stopped, then in a flash turned around to see his little, right now very obnoxious, brother looking at him, that stupid grin still on his face, and if at all possible, even bigger. "I needed to tell Anzu something but I didn't want to interrupt her conversation, it's been a while since she's seen Harpy."

"Your kidding right? Since when do you care about Anzu and whether or not she's already in a conversation?"

"Since…since…what are you doing here?"

"I happen to like Anzu and wanted to see her, besides, Pharaoh Yami heard about Harpy's early arrival and wanted to talk to her about the scouting mission, so I was sent here to get her."

"So now your Yami's message boy? What's next, page boy, helping out with the horses?"

"Seth!"

"Oh, maybe you'll help feed the horses."

"I know what your doing, your trying to get me to forget about you listening in on Anzu's conversation."

"You can take care of the dogs too."

"Seth!"

"I'm just saying…well, that's the direction that you're heading in."

"Am not, I'm going to be a great Lord someday."

"Sure, you'll be Lord of the Dogs, maybe Jyo can be your squire." Seth leaned himself up against the wall as he watched his brothers face panic, works every time.

"Seth!"

All of a sudden Seth was on the floor. He looked up to see Anzu looking at him confusion written across her face, Harpy looking over her shoulder, equally confused. Realization hit him, that wasn't the wall he was leaning up against, but her stone door. Damn. He calmly stood up as if nothing had happened, and looked at Harpy. "Pharaoh Yami wishes to speak to you about your scouting mission in the main hall."

Seth then dusted off his robes and quietly walked over to his room, a few doors down, leaving a completely confused Anzu, a mildly scattered Harpy and an utterly amused little brother who he was going to kill.

* * *

"Seth! Seth wait up would you? You are such a jack ass sometimes you know that!"

Seth turned around to see the very last person he wanted to talk to right now. "What the hell do you want Anzu? I have more important things to do then indulge your pathetic excuse for a mind."

"Seth seriously, what's up? You've been avoiding me like the plague for two days now, I mean sure my world is a whole lot better, and quieter, and I sleep better, and-"

"Your point." He interrupted.

"Mekubo's worried something is wrong, he's to worried to talk to you about it, or that you'll just lie and say your fine, so what's up?"

"Nothing."

"You're a damn good liar Seth, and can brush off anyone like the insect you think they are, except for me, now what's wrong?"

"Nothing, now can you leave? I have business to attend too."

Tea grabbed Seth's arm and yanked as hard as she could, almost throwing him into the wall, if it wasn't for his strength and agility. "What's wrong, your quite, your never quite."

She squeezed tighter onto his arm, indicating how set she was on getting an answer. Tea continued to stare at his back, for some reason he was refusing to look at her, why?

Seth closed his eyes when she grabbed his arm. There it was again, an image of her, only this time she wasn't in the fountain. This time it was when she hugged him, her body pressed up against him, form fitting in every way, as if designed together. He shook his head again, as if that would somehow push the image out of his mind forever. Why was this happening? Why wouldn't she get out of his thoughts? This had to stop, and this had to stop now. Opening his eyes he turned around, his eyes showing nothing but malice, as if freezing the world still just from a glance. This was the hard, businessman she knew, the one with no heart. "Maybe, I'm just sick of looking at you."

It was as if the world had just stopped, right there. Tea froze, she didn't even notice when Seth yanked his arm out of her grasp and walked away as if he had just killed a small meaningless insect. He had never been that cold to her before, sure he was a jerk, but, he actually looked as if he meant it that time. There was no second meaning, no version of his rudeness, just unadulterated hate. Yes, hate was what that entire sentence reeked of. Pure hate.

* * *

Seto sat in his home office, contemplating the last few days, he wasn't sure exactly what had happened. He looked down at the lits he had made, which was separated into two parts. Things he knew, and thinks he didn't.

Things I Know

Orphan

Found on a doorstep at age nine by a man named Mickey Zola

Raised in New York

Things I Don't Know

Anything about her parents

How she pays for her lifestyle (clothes, house, tuition, animals...ext.)

How she knows all the people who sent her get well gifts

Why she's so close to Mokuba

How she ended up on Zola's door step

Why she was on Zola's door step

How her hospital bills were paid

The second list was much longer than the first, he didn't like that. How was it that him, the richest man in all of Japan, couldn't find information on this one single girl? He had connections around the world, people who should be able to figure this out in a snap, yet, it's not happening.

"Meow"

Seto turned around to see Tea's cat, Trisket, standing in his doorframe. Seto gave off a faint smile; it had been five day's since Zola had come to stay with them, and to say the least Mokuba was happy. It was almost as if a part of Tea came back when Zola walked through their front doors. He actually saw Mokuba smiling the other day, a faint one, but it was still there.

The first day Zola came Trisket went crazy, he was so excited, running around the house, practically bouncing off the walls, then strait into Zola's arms. Apparently Trisket was one of the first animals Tea had adopted. Actually to be more precise, the third one, everyone else she had found a home for but one night, walking home from the library, she saw a small box floating in a gutter. Then came the cries of a very small cat. Tea rushed over and pulled it towards her to find Trisket at the bottom, cold and wet. Scooping him up she carried him home in her jacket. Over the next two weeks she cared fort him, all the while tiring to find him a decent home, but every time she did he would end up destroying the house. Finally Zola said she should keep him since he only behaved around her. So, when she moved here, he came along.

Seto pushed out his chair from under the desk a bit, indicating to Trisket that it was ok. Trisket obliged happily and ran over to Seto, jumping on his lap. Seto smiled at pet the small cat. Even if he was at least eight years old, he was still small for his breed, but that was all right, it left Seto enough room to do his work while Trisket basked in his body heat.

* * *

"So now I pour in the flour right?" Asked a vibrant Mokuba

"Yes, then the sugar, and salt and brown sugar. Basically everything that isn't liquid, you want to mix those first." Answered Mickey Zola

"That's right, I remember that from the last time I cooked with Tea, she's really good. Did she learn from you?"

"Most of it, some of it she learned from Daniel and Cassandra"

"Ya, we'd stay up all night just too cook sometimes, I don't get home cooked meals very often, really the only time is with Tea. It's usually junk from business dinners or take out."

"Don't business dinners serve really good food? Like duck and things like that?"

"Well ya, but it's not what I want. You can tell there wasn't any feeling put into the food, not like Tea's any way, you can tell that she put her heart and soul into whatever she gives someone."

"Yes, I didn't have to teach her that, it just came naturally to her."

"Hey, what's going on in here?"

Both occupants turned around to see Seto Kaiba standing in the doorframe.

"We're making chocolate chip cookies!" Yelled Mokuba, throwing up his arms to indicate his utter excitement, but accidentally hitting the flour bag with his elbow, knocking it over onto the floor. "Opps."

"It's alright Mokuba, we'll clean it up later, part of cooking is making a mess, if it's not messy your not doing it right because your not having fun." Answered Mickey to the unasked question.

"So that's where Tea gets her cleaning philosophy from." Mokuba said smiling. Then he turned to his brother. "Want to help big brother?"

"Not particularly." He answered smoothly, but apparently Tea's cleaning philosophy wasn't the only thing she got from Mickey, her stubbornness too.

"Nonsense, it's just cookies, and besides, Tea told me that you were always to busy working to spend the proper amount of time with your brother, your not going to prove her right are you?"

Mokuba looked at Mickey even closer then he had before. "I like you even more."

Mickey shrugged, that ever-present twinkle in his eye even brighter then before. "Just stating the facts, from what Tea says, you hate her being right, and, well, she would be if you were to leave right now Kaiba."

Seto sighed, yes, Tea defiantly grew up with this man, apparently she had learned many of her manipulating skills from him as well. He couldn't back out of this one, tricky bastered. "Alright, what do I need to do?"

Mokuba ran over to his brother and pulled him into a bear hug. Seto was caught off guard, did his presence really mean that much to Mokuba?

"Ok, first, wash you hands, then get out some eggs, I don't think Mokuba will be able to reach them."

"Ok, but, where's the fridge?" asked Seto

Mickey looked at him like he was crazy. Ok, it was weird that he didn't know where anything in the kitchen was in his own house but it's not like that was his fault.

"It's ok Mickey, Seto really isn't crazy, it's just, well, we're never in the kitchen, I don't think we ever have been. This kitchen hasn't been used since about nine years ago. I didn't remember where it was either, remember?"

"Ya, ok, but I think we need to do something to get your brother into the spirit of cooking."

"What?" asked Mokuba

"Ya, what?" asked a now very skeptical Kaiba, he just hoped Tea didn't learn her payback skills from him as well.

"Not much, just a little flour here, and there." Mickey picked up a handful of flour that was previously on the ground and tossed it in Seto's' direction. On pure instinct Seto tried to grab it, only, you can't catch flour now can you. It went all over his newly pressed clothes. He opened his eyes to see Mokuba's face turning red from trying to contain his laughter, and Mickey standing there with a large grin on his face. "Oh, much better, you look like a real cook now."

And he was right, he looked like he had been in the kitchen for hours, as if he had been _with_ _them_ for hours. Mokuba and Mickey had been in the kitchen since 1 and had ingredients all over them, from flour to uncooked spaghetti. He sighed, he didn't know why, he should be furious, but he was finding this all highly amusing. That's when it happened, he laughed. A true laugh, something he hadn't done in a while. "Alright, now that I'm caught up, shall we get started?"

* * *

Seto looked over a few documents while sitting in his office, another late night. In all honesty he was glad Zola came to stay with them, but he would be leaving in two days, and with him, goes Mokuba's rediscovered smiles. Last night had been fun, he hadn't laughed like that in a while. Surprisingly enough the cookies had come out wonderful. Seto had asked where he had learned the recipe and turns out Tea had made it up. She just added and subtracted things from Zola's own recipe, creating the one that they now used.

Seto looked back over at the millions of papers in front of him. Kaiba Land was behind schedule, he had two mergers to proof and three contracts due, all by Thursday. It wasn't just going to be an all nighter, it was going to be an all nighter for the next couple of days.

A thought struck him, was it nights like this that Mokuba would run to Tea's house?

"Hey big brother."

Seto turned around to see Mokuba step inside his office. What the hell? "Mokuba what's going on? Your suppose to be in bed, at home, in bed, where you sleep, in bed."

"Got that."

"It's 12:37, why are you here?"

"Actually, I found an old video of Tea, and, I didn't want to watch it myself. Zola was already asleep and is really worn out from packing."

"Why didn't you wait till tomorrow?"

"Cause I wanted to watch it tonight."

"Mokuba."

"Please Seto, I wont be able to sleep until I watch it."

He got it, it was nights like this that Mokuba _would_ run to Tea, but Tea wasn't here now, that's why he wanted to watch the video. Seto Kaiba, the coldest, richest and domineering man in the world succumbs to his little brother, oh, the press would have field day with this. "Alright, but only part of it, I need to get back to work."

Mokuba's face lit up as he ran over to the large screen. Placing the DVD in he turned back around and jumped into his brother's lap. Pressing the play button he snuggled deeper into Seto.

Seto looked up at the screen while holding onto his brother at the same time. He wasn't sure why but lately when ever the subject of Tea came up, a new side of him emerged. It was like he couldn't say no to anything that had any relation to her. Maybe it was due to the strange infatuation he felt towards her undiscovered life, or maybe, it was something else. He didn't know, all he did know was that he would never be able to say no to his brother with that look on his face.

The screen suddenly lit up, he realized it was of a park, why was a park being video taped? The recorder then went into focus and the person holding it started to scan the area. Suddenly they stopped when they reached a woman on a bench, reading a rather large book. Upon closer inspection he realized that woman was Tea.

A close up of her was suddenly shown, Tea was so engulfed in her book she didn't even notice. Her hair held tints of red from the reflection of the sun while her skin held a certain glow about it, while all the plant life and flowers around her gave off a sense of utter bliss. Zooming out again Seto noticed a few new people on the screen. Three men were standing by the fountain looking at Tea longingly, he wasn't sure why but this sparked something inside of him. He wanted to hurt something, anything.

Tea turned another page of her book while one of the men not so subtly walked up to her. The person holding the camcorder slowly walked closer in order to hear their voices. Seto was once again glad, he wasn't sure why, but he was.

"_So, what are you reading?" Asked the man_

_Tea looked up from her book, "The International Laws of Business" She looked back down at her book, turning another page, completely disregarding the man beside her._

"_What's it about?"_

_She looked back up and uncrossed her legs, looking up from her book once again. "Business."_

"_What type of business?"_

_She hadn't looked back down at her book, she continued to stare at him, not once blinking. "The many theories on the proper ways to run and function a business with the least possible damage to you capitol and assets, while integrating those conjectures along with those from other high manufacturing industries."_

"_Um, nice, do you want to go out some time?"_

"_No." She looked back down at her book, turning another page._

"_What? Why not? How can you just say no like that? Do you even know who I am?"_

_Tea continued to stare down at her book. "Ricky Frost, the son of Richard Frost, major soft where typhoon and multi million heir. Attends the most prestigious college in all of Japan, barely passing his classes and there is a lot of speculation on how you even got into that school. My theory would be your daddy made a call. You belong to the biggest party frat in the eastern hemisphere and have slept with over half of the schools female population." She looked up. "So yes, I know who you are."_

"_I…I…you-"_

_But he was suddenly cut off by a medium sized boy with wild black hair, in other words, Mokuba. "Hey mom."_

_Tea looked up at Mokuba. "Hey honey, how was school?"_

"_Fine, though I got sent to the Principals office again, apparently I have anger management issues."_

_Tea frowned a bit. "You are your fathers child."_

"_And I have a parent teacher conference tomorrow."_

"_Well you know I cant go to that, last time I went your father thought the teacher made a pass remember, the guy ended up in the hospital for the next two weeks, I really don't think we want to do that again."_

"_Agreed, I can't image what he would do if he found another victim."_

_A slight breeze went by them and they turned around to see absolutely nothing, where Ricky Frost once stood now resided a pile of leaves. Tea giggled. "You know, I don't care how many times we do that, it still makes me laugh."_

_Mokuba just smiled. "That guy stayed longer than most too, and I was thinking, I don't want you out by yourself anymore, you must always had an escort."_

_Tea just laughed harder. He sounded so professional, so determined, so like his brother. "Relax Mokachino, I'm not here by myself, Mai and Duke are somewhere around here." Tea looked around Mokuba for a sec but the person with the camera ducked, obviously being one of the former mentioned._

"_I still don't like you being out here, what if something happened, I'll call Seto's guards and-"_

_She pulled him into a hug, burring him in her embrace, her hair draping over him. "Your so adorable sometimes."_

_A large blush appeared on Mokuba's face. "I get it from my brother."_

_Tea released him "Is that so?"_

"_What, no remark?"_

"_Not today, I'm in to good of a mood to think about him."_

"_This is new, what brought this on?"_

"_The fact that all your friends just watched you get hugged by a girl!" She started laughing and pointed over to a group of kids Mokuba's age._

_Mokuba went even redder. "TEA!"_

"_What can I say, I was born evil."_

"_Maybe they didn't notice that it was me?"_

"_Ya, and maybe a guy like Ricky Frost wants a down to earth girl that has a maniac husband and kid."_

"_What am I going to do?"_

"_Relax, I'm not that embarrassing, it's not like they caught Mai hugging you."_

_Suddenly the person with the camera jumped out from the bushes. "I'm not embarrassing!" She yelled_

"_Thought that would get you to come out, and put that damn camera away."_

"_Hell no, your fun to record."_

"_Fine, well, I got to go to the bank and deposit my paycheck real fast."_

"_Ok." Both Mokuba and Mai said at the same time._

"_You two are so weird sometimes."_

_So together they walked about four blocks to Domino National Bank. Tea walked in and talked to the clerk for a bit. She deposited her check and then talked a bit to the clerk again, about a lot actually. The weather, family, bank status, her accounts, magazines, and even a bit about stocks._

_Finally ending Tea turned around and started to head to her house, Mokuba and Mai closely behind her._

Seto looked down to see his little brother asleep oh his lap, he couldn't help but wonder how long he had been like this. Moving slightly he turned off the DVD player and screen, then carried Mokuba over to his limo. Guess he wouldn't be getting any work done tonight.

Finally reaching home Seto tucked Mokuba into bed and headed for his own. Slipping off his clothes he climbed into his soft silk black sheets. Before closing his eyes he felt a small pressure suddenly on his bed, he knew it was Trisket. He had come every night. The small cat slowly made his way towards Seto and placed himself near Seto's chest. While closing his eyes a thought dawned on Seto, the Clerk said accounts not account.

* * *

Firevixen73- Ok, so did everyone like it? Hope so, I know this one wasn't very informative but hey, the last one was, and I'm trying to set everything up for the next chapter. Oh, I wanted to ask, what is Weevil and Rex's favorite cards again? And the fisherman too? Not to mention his name. If anybody knows that would be great! Please review; I'll give you more imaginary ice cream! 


	8. He Hates Me

Firevixen73- Thank you to all my readers! Your are the best readers in the world! Especially when you review, that makes me so happy. I'd like to give a big thank you to 'Stephanie Jelly' and 'Black-Angel-001' for helping me out with the names and the duel monsters. Much obliged. One last word, if you like this story I have two more that are Inuyasha based, named "The Black Widows" and "Mt. Olympus High School", thanx again everyone!

* * *

Tea stared down at the blankets currently wrapped around her seemingly fragile body, but in honesty, her heart was what was currently torn to shreds. In all the years she had known Seto he had never once shown the hate and malice Seth just did, and if they were one in the same…

She's never hated Seto, or his past counterpart, they just had never gotten along, but to go as far as to say a disgusting word such as hate wasn't right, well, at least that's what she had always thought, until now.

Snuggling deeper into the thin linens, Tea pulled her legs up to her chest, trying to provide herself some sort of comfort. No one had ever hated her before, even if it was Seth, or Seto, whichever one, she didn't like it. It didn't feel right; it made her feel like she was a kid again, growing up, before she lived with Mickey. It wasn't fair; she didn't want to feel like this.

Laying her head down and her pillow she pulled the remainder of the sheets over her head, wanting to block out Seth voice, his voice that had been haunting her since they last spoke.

* * *

"Gem? Is that you?"

A small girl in a miniskirt dress turned around to see non-other then the High Priest's little brother looking at her skeptically. "Mekubo? Mekubo!" She ran up and gave him a huge hug, glad to finally see someone she knew.

"Gem, what are you doing here?" asked Mekubo

"I was looking for lady Anzu, she hasn't been around lately," she answered while sniffling her nose.

"No, she's been busy with Lord Darus and then Harpy came back."

"Oh, well I wanted to see her."

"How did you get past the guards?"

"Lady Anzu told me when their shifts were so if I ever wanted to see her I could sneak past them when they were changing, why?"

Mekubo tried not to laugh, he really did.

"Mekubo, what's so funny? Mekubo!"

"Nothing, you just sounded so much like Anzu for a second there. Why don't I take you to the throne room, I'm sure someone there knows where she is."

"Yay!" Gem through her hands up into the air in excitement.

"Alright, lets go." Mekubo grabbed the little girls hand and pulled her up onto his back, remembering how much he liked it when Anzu would do that.

"How are our forces in the north? I trust they are doing well under your leadership Tsunami."

"Yes, we've so far managed to intercept three messages, each depicting dates on them, we're not sure what they mean, I'm guessing planned attacks."

Yami smiled at the duel monster before him. The story of this man was sad, before he became a duel monster him and his father we're fishing at sea when a horrible storm hit, fortunately he survived but his father was no where to be found, nine years later, the soul bargaining by the leader of the Guardian family was made. Anzu had been the one to tell him that story.

"Yami!"

The young Pharaoh looked up to see Mekubo heading towards him with a small girl on his back. "Yes Mekubo?"

Gem looked up to see five tall and hansom men in front of her. She recognized all of them, the first was of course Pharaoh Yami, if his hair didn't give it away the millennium puzzle hanging from his neck sure did. Next was the High Priest Seth, the legendary glare already in place, it scared her. After that stood Captain of the Guard Jyo, she hadn't ever met him before but Anzu said that he was really nice. Lord Tori, she recognized him from when Anzu took her home, he was there with her family.

The next man, or duel monster, was taller, and more muscular. He wore no shirt and had dark tanned skin, proving to her who he was. Over his body resided various scars and battle wounds, which she could only guess where from the numerous battles he had been in. On his neck were what looked to be gills while all over his body various patches of brightly colored scales rested. On his neck hung a rather large shark tooth. "You're the Legendary Fisherman!"

He raised his eyebrows. "The Legendary what?"

"Well, that's what the towns people call you anyway."

"The Legendary Fisherman huh? I like that. So what about Harpy, what do they call her?"

"Harpy Lady."

"Harpy, a Lady? Have you met her?"

"Hey I don't come up with the names."

"What about-"

"Actually, we were hoping someone could point us in the direction of Anzu." Cut in Mekubo, this conversation could take a while; even he didn't know what they called everyone.

Tsunami saw Seth flinch at that question out of the corner of his eye, now what was that about?

"I don't know Mekubo, I haven't seen her since last night." answered Jyo

"Ya, I haven't seen her since, I think it was really early this morning, her and Harpy were heading out for a walk." cut in Tori

"I haven't seen her since last night either Mekubo." said Yami

Mekubo turned to his brother questioningly.

"What are you doing staring at me?"

"Maybe you've seen her Seth."

"No, I would only know where she is if I cared, and I don't."

"So you haven't seen her big brother?"

"No."

Mekubo sighed, how is it that no one knew where she was? "Well, big brother, when was the last time you saw her?"

Seth desperately wanted to ground his brother right now, he had spent the last few days avoiding her as much as possible, how the hell would he know where she was? "The last time I saw her was about two days ago in the hall."

"You haven't seen her since then?"

"No, why?"

"Never mind, we'll go look for her. Come on Gem."

* * *

"The sunset is beautiful M-I mean Harpy." Tea continued to look at the sunset, it was gorgeous. Harpy had flown her up to the top of the highest pyramid, which oddly enough was Anzu's garden. Instead of a point at the top it flattened, leaving Tea room to walk, it was a lot of room actually. Tea looked around at the various plant life around her. Everything she could ever imagine was there, including a rather large pond.

"This was always your absolute favorite place in all of Egypt. I'm surprised it's actually doing as well as it is, considering what a long time it's been since anyone has been up here."

"What do you mean?"

Harpy looked at her questioningly. "Well, you and I are the only one who know about it girl."

"Oh, right, forgot about that, opps." Tea scratched her head, ok, that was dumb, maybe you just shouldn't ask questions anymore.

"I remember when I first found out about this place, you were up here tending your flowers when I was scouting over head, you were so preoccupied you forgot to put up a barrier."

Barrier? Oh, that's right, I have powers. Tea looked down at her hands, trying to figure out their mystery. "I wonder how they work."

"What was that Anzu?"

Tea immediately clasped her hands together and looked at her friend of apparently thousands of years and smiled. "Nothing." Tea walked over to the edge still trying to figure out how she could get up here on her own. Flying? Teleportation? Everyone down there look like little ants, I can't even tell who they are.

Suddenly Tea's eyes went weird, her pupils became dilated. Suddenly the world was rushing by her, all she could see were blurs, like she was running extremely fast to somewhere. Her ears were the same, thousands of sounds rushed past her, in one ear out an out the other, completely engulfing her. Out of know where it stopped and she found herself looking at Mekubo, Gem was holding his hand.

What was going on? Tea rocked her feet back and forth to make sure she was still on top of the pyramid, while clutching her hand to the balcony railing. Yes, she was still on the top of the pyramid, but…how the hell?

Her ears suddenly perked up as she heard Mekubo's voice. Her eyes refocused on his form.

"Has anyone here seen Anzu?"

Tea turned her attention to the guard he was talking to. Just as Mekubo and Gem, everything around the guard seemed to point or focus in on him. Everything except him was slightly blurry.

"No, I haven't, not since last night, sir."

"Ok, thank you."

Tea watched Mekubo and Gem walk away from the guard, towards another figure. Just as suddenly as the vision and hearing came it was gone again. Tea was back on the peak of the balcony, looking down at small dots, which were in reality people. Looking down again she saw two small dots walking towards another one. She wasn't positive but maybe somehow Anzu's powers enhanced her hearing and eyesight when she wanted to know what was going on. Screw the no asking questions idea.

"Harpy, I was just looking over the balcony when I focused on Mekubo, I heard him too."

"Ya? You do that all the time, it's how you know when to go back down. Enhancing your hearing and eye sight, like a cats, why?"

"Umm…" Ok, now that you know you were right, now what? "We should go back down, Mekubo and Gem are looking for me."

"Oh, ok…one thing before we do, are you ok?"

"What?"

"You just seem different for the past couple of days."

Seth…he hates me. "No, nothing's different, just a lot on my mind."

"Ok, lets go then."

* * *

"Shit!"

Yami turned at looked at Tori. "What's wrong?"

"Well you know that big banquet we're having tomorrow tonight?"

"Yes."

"The head bakers wife is having a baby! We have no one to cook! We already promised them they could go when the baby was being born! Of course she had to go in labor tonight."

"That isn't good, what are we going to do?" asked Yami, as much to himself as to everyone else. "Alright, go through out the castle and figure out if anyone else can work, and, what about the assistant bakers?"

"No good, they're all family members, so, they're all going."

"Really not good. All right, go! Find Jyo too."

* * *

Tea walked into the main hall to find utter chaos. Yami and Tori both looked like the world was falling down on them while Jyo was frantically yelling at random people. She gave Seth a glance to see his face slightly paler then it usually was.

"Um, I heard someone was looking for me."

Everyone stopped to look at her, it was like chaos had suddenly met its match, for now at least. Jyo came running up to her frantically. "We're dead, we're having a big banquet tonight for all the allies to meet and come up with battle plans, and well, we have no baker!"

"So, get another one."

Yami stood up. "We need the best if we want to keep a tight rain on our allies, we can't afford to loose any of them. Presentation is the key here."

"You need a baker huh?"

"Just figured that out?"

She looked over at Seth, their eyes made contact. It was the first time since two nights ago they had even looked at each other let alone spoke, Tea turned her attention back towards Yami. "Leave it to me, ok? Don't worry I'll take care of it, you just worry about everything else ok?"

"Anzu?"

"When is the banquet?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Alright, don't worry."

Tea quickly stepped out of the throne room and hurried out of the large pyramid, searching for a certain someone who had helped her only a few days ago.

* * *

"You want me to what?"

"Please, I absolutely love your bakery and we're in dire need."

"Anything for you Lady Anzu, it's just, I don't know if I'm up to this."

"Nonsense, I'll be there, granted I know nothing about what you'll be making but, well, I can still try, and any family members are welcomed. The pay is good and if tomorrow night turns out well I promise you'll be coming back."

"Oh, alright, I'll do it."

* * *

"Who is this?" asked Seth. It was the first time aside from earlier today he had talked to Anzu. Yami asked him to check on her, to see what exactly she was planning, he stepped in the large kitchen to find people of all ages running around, from age four, to age forty, and of course Anzu was smack dab in the middle.

Tea looked up to see Seth staring at her menacingly. "Oh…" she randomly pulled someone out from the crowd, her eyes still locked with his own. "This is Kasha, I met her the other day when I was on my little shopping spree, I saved her from a bushel of apples, she owns a bakery, she's cooking. Good? Good. Get out."

Tea turned back around and continued to mead the dough she had been earlier, she was not ready to face him yet.

Seth was about to say something but fortunately realized Anzu was not in the mood to speak with him, and she was not going to give him any answers. Sighing he turned around and headed towards where he knew Yami would be, he needed to give his report.

Walking he reviewed the conversation with Anzu. She seemed really mad, and not just mad, but hurt. Was she still thinking about what he said the other day? Did it actually hurt her that much? This was the first time in a few days he'd actually taken the time out of his day to notice her. She seemed tired, unlike usually, her smile didn't reach her eyes.

* * *

Tea looked over the table. Yami decided it would be best if everyone sat down and had dinner together before the big night, to discuss everything that needed to be done. Though, she really didn't want to be here, everything seemed so meaningless, organizing possible future conversation, who should talk to who, what and what not to bring up…it seemed pointless.

Over all she was more worried about Kasha and her family. Tea had insisted that they stay the night in one of the guest rooms so they could be there early in the morning to start, and have a good nights rest, hopefully they were doing ok.

Tea looked down at her food, all the while pushing it around her plate. She really wasn't hungry, it's kind of hard to be when you know the person who absolutely hates you is sitting across the table trying to pretend you don't exist. Don't get her wrong, she didn't like Seth, but she didn't hate him. Tea had experienced hate before, it was an emotion she never wanted anyone to feel, it was designed to destroy, that was the only thing it was good at.

"Anzu?"

"Huh?" Tea looked up to see Mako Tsunami looking at her. She looked at his appearance a bit closer. So he was a duel monster too, why was it that all her friends were a different species?

"You ok? You haven't eaten a bite."

"Oh, I'm fine, I'm, well, just not hungry."

"You sure that's it?"

"Why would it be anything else?"

He made a glance at Seth, drawing her to as well. "He's been acting strange as well."

"I care why?"

"Because it's your nature too, that's part of who you are."

"I…he hates me, you know that?"

Tsunami was taken back by this, he didn't know what to say. He knew Seth didn't hate Anzu, so why would she think that? Anzu must have done something to spark an emotion in Seth that he didn't want to feel, and he was pushing her away, that must have been what happened. "He doesn't-"

A large explosion cut him off mid sentence. He turned around to see one of the last people he ever wanted to see, especially right now.

Alec Guardian.

* * *

Seto looked at the idiotic bank teller in front of him. "What, you can't just tell me her account numbers?"

"No sir I cannot."

"I'm Seto Kaiba, do you not understand that?"

"Sir, it is illegal for me to tell anyone other then the person under contract the numbers, for all I know your planning on robbing her."

"Me, the multi billion heir, want to rob her? Do you have brains? Listen, all I want to know is where she gets her money from, like her work, where the checks are made out from?"

"I can't tell you that sir."

Seto was trying desperately not to have this woman fired. Trying. Still trying. Slinging his coat over his shoulder he stormed out of the bank, exceptionally mad. Sliding into him limo he told the driver "home" where his brother was expectantly waiting for him.

Walking in the front door he searched for his little brother. "Mokuba?"

He walked into the kitchen, no, not there. He tried Mokuba's bedroom next, no, not there either. Where was he? Stepping into the second TV room he say his brothers black hair from over the couch. Looking up to see what Mokuba was watching he saw the screen light up with huge buildings. "What are you watching Mokuba?"

Mokuba turned around and looked at his brother. "Oh Seto, I didn't here you come in. This is from Mickey, well actually from some of Tea's friends, he told them what's going on and they sent this, it just came in today. It's a video of Tea when she was last in New York with her friends. Can you watch it with me?"

Seto looked up at the screen, a video of Tea huh? Guess he could watch, it would make Mokuba happy and he might be able to figure something out. Ever since Zola left Mokuba has been gloomy, not really eating all that much, luckily it was winter break so he didn't have to face school quite yet. "Alright, I'll watch."

"Great, sit over here!" Mokuba moved over as his big brother sat down next to him, it had been a while since they had done anything like this, you know, spent quality time together. Mokuba missed it a lot, Seto was always working. He looked back over at the screen, glad that it seemed to be Tea who was somehow bringing his brother back to him.

"_Tea, I cannot believe your hair is so short!"_

"_Shut up Vicky, it's been like this for almost two years now, you're the damn person who made me cut it you know."_

"_Ya, I know, but I didn't think you would keep it short, I like you a lot better in long hair, it just gives off a Tea vibe."_

"_You need help you know that?"_

"_So you've told me. Hey, lets go check out this place."_

"_Alright."_

_Tea turned around to the camera. "Sandy you going to turn that thing off?"_

"_Hell no. When you become famous I can sell this for millions!"_

_Tea sighed. "Remind me set you up with the same psychiatrist a find for Vicky."_

"_Tea! I'm so glad your back, but why couldn't you have come for your actual birthday and not three weeks earlier? We want to be there the second you turn 17 so we can party!"_

"_Agreed." said the girl holding the camera, also known as Sandy._

"_Because I have school. I should just feel lucky we had a four day weekend this week."_

"_Fine, well, here is your birthday present." Vicky pulled out a blue envelope and handed it to Tea._

"_You guys flew me out here, you didn't need to get me anything else."_

"_We're friends, we spoil each other." said Sandy_

_Tea opened it up to have a ticket fall out. Grabbing it se looked at it closer. Her eyes went wide. "Oh my god! You guys got me a "Wicked" ticket? How did you guys do that? It's been sold out for months!"_

"_We know a guy." said Vicky_

"_Actually, we know a guy who works there who has a major crush on you. He saw you dance at that rally and fell in love, all we had to do was tell him they were for you and it was practically done!" piped in Sandy_

"_What? They, what's they?"_

_Vicky pulled out two more from her pocket. "What, you didn't think we were going to miss this did you?"_

"_You guys rock!"_

"_I know." Said Sandy, the camera shaking from her laughter. "Alright, we better go so we can make it to the baby shower."_

The TV became fussy for a second, indicating it had temporarily been turned off. Suddenly the screen lit up to show a room, looked like a living room to Seto. Everywhere around the small room were baby presents and wrapping paper, you couldn't even see the floor. About 15 girls surround a very pregnant one. This must be the baby shower.

"_I can't believe you're pregnant!" said a redhead, caring a try of food from the kitchen._

"_I know Cassandra, I always thought you would be the first one. The way you and Daniel are."_

"_What was that Mary?" said Cassandra in a flat tone, she had obviously heard._

"_I'm just saying you two are the perfect couple."_

"_What the hell? We're not even dating? I have a boyfriend! And what do you mean 'the way Daniel and I are'? We're just friends!"_

"_But you two are perfect for each other and understand each other in everyway. By the way, when are you going to dump that looser boyfriend of yours anyway?" added in Tea "Uncle Dan is a much better match for you."_

_Cassandra's face went red with each word Tea said._

_Suddenly Tea's eyes lit up. "Oh, I get it, your trying to make him jealous."_

"_What? I-I am not!"_

"_Right." Said all sixteen women together, while rolling their eyes simultaneously._

"_We're suppose to be celebrating Angelica's knew baby, not my love life."_

"_What celebration? I want ice cream! And chocolate!" She yelled Suddenly a man at about 6'1" came running down the stairs. He was burley, and obviously lifted weights. Seemed like the last kind of guy you ever wanted to piss off._

"_What honey?"_

"_Ice Cream now! Chocolate or I'm ripping your balls out!" Her face seemed as if the devil himself inhabited her body, then like magic her frown turned into a smile, radiating innocence and joy. "Love you, bye honey"._

_The man scurried out of the room in pure fear, slamming the door behind him._

"_Don't slam the damn ass door!" Yelled the very pregnant woman. "Do it correctly!"_

_The door opened slightly and once again shut, illuminating no noise._

"_Men are so incompetent." Said Angelica as she heard the car start, and listened to her husband drive off._

_Suddenly the TV screen lit up, it was the six o'clock news._

"_Entertainment today brings you the best news on your favorite Celebes. Today we bring you the famous multibillion heir Seto Kaiba, seen shopping near Victoria Secret? Does he have a secret lover the world knows nothing about? We'll be right back after this short break with the details."_

"_Now that's a man I wouldn't mind being married to." said Cassandra _

"_Or pregnant with his baby." said Angelica_

"_Oh god, please strike me with a lightning bolt right now." Tea threw her hands up in the air, 'attempting' to be hit._

"_Oh come on Tea, you can't tell me he's not hot?" said one of the girls_

"_Wouldn't know, I can't seem to get past that damn ego problem of his." she answered back_

"_Come on girl, look at him! Perfect body in everyway shape and form, dream like even, look at the way his hair falls in his face, and hello, rich beyond belief!"_

"_This is a pathetic conversation, we should stop."_

"_Hell no! You live in the same town as him, what's he like?"_

_Tea smirked, ready to tell them exactly what she thought. "He's a self centered bastered who has absolutely no consideration for others, including the people who break their back trying to gain his non-existent approval."_

"_Aw, poor thing, probably had a hard life." said one girl_

"_Kind of makes him sexier." said another_

_Tea fell out of her chair._

"_The broken ones are always the best." said another_

"_I know, they're usually the sweetest ones." said Cassandra_

"_What the hell is wrong with the world?" said Tea's voice from the floor_

"_Oh come on Tea, you can't say one nice thing about him? Seriously you should, considering how much stock you have in his company."_

_Tea sat up looking around the room. "I said he was a jerk, I never said anything about him not being a good business man."_

"_Whatever." said Vicky_

"_Seriously, I don't like the guy, especially that way."_

"_Like she said, whatever." _

"_Cassandra!"_

"_How much stock do you have in Kaiba Corp. anyway?" asked Vicky_

"_Enough to own eight of the company." said Cassandra_

"_Would you two shut-up?"_

"_No," said Angelica fully enjoying the turns of the conversation "I'm having fun."_

"_You should just feel lucky your pregnant Angelica."_

_Angelica smiled. "So what other companies do you own?"_

"_I don't own Kaiba Corp." said Tea, the vein on her forehead pulsing_

"_She owns part of-"_

"_What I own isn't important." cut in Tea_

"_Microsoft, Pegasus Inc., Hollywood Productions, WB-"_

"_What I own isn't important, what is, is that I can buy everyone great baby shower gifts, now, what are you going to name the baby?" Tea looked at Angelica expectantly_

"_Oh fine, I was thinking…where's my chocolate? He should have been back like 30 seconds ago. Oh my god! He's cheating on me!" screamed Angelica_

"_Is this normal?" asked Tea_

_Cassandra looked at her. "Well, at the hospital woman do get pretty hysterical." They both turned to the pregnant woman crying her eyes out while everyone else was trying to convince her that her husband wasn't cheating on her._

"_This bad?"_

"_Well, no, but angelica always was dramatic."_

The TV became fuzzy again, indicating the film was over. Mokuba looked at his older brother who was still staring at the screen wide eyed.

Tea…Tea owns eight of his company? How the hell did he not know this? He should know this. Her friends try to convince her that he's hot? Why did that come up, not like that matters? She owns stock in other companies as well? How much? If she didn't look at his "ego" first would she think he's hot? Stop thinking that Seto.

He blinked a few times and looked down at his brother, who was obviously just as shocked at he was. What other secrets was she keeping from the rest of the world?

* * *

Firevixen73-I did that all in one sitting, so proud! Hope everyone liked it, any questions you can just ask. Alec is one of Anzu's brothers, the second oldest. So please please please review, you would make me so happy! Thank you to everyone! Hopefully hear from you soon. 


	9. Breaking Down

Firevixen73- I messed up on the name, I really did, I said Alec in the last chapter but it is really Shane. Sorry about the mix up.

* * *

Tea sat at the table sitting cross legged on a large pillow while staring across the room at the man in front of her. He had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes which seemed to hold an imminent feeling of darkness. He had large over sized muscles leading her to believe he was some type of body builder.

Tea wanted to know who this man was, but more importantly get him out, she didn't trust him, she didn't know why, but she didn't. One thing she had learned to do in the past 17 years was trust her instincts and they were currently telling her this was a very dangerous man.

"Well, seems like someone forgot to invite me to the party." The man's dark eyes made direct contact with Tea's bright lively blue ones. This man was her brother. Shane Guardian. It came to her in a flash, she just knew. This was one of the men who had caused Anzu so much grief.

Tea stood up. She didn't know what she was doing, she didn't know why she was doing it, but seeing this man filled her with a rage she hadn't felt in a long time. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, all I want is to kill you little sister. You who cause your people so much grief by just continuing to breath, you who will be the destruction of all those who you love if you decide to resist me."

This man scared her, he was very good when it came to building on her fears, but her instincts told her she had to stay, stay and fight for those she loved because this man possessed no mercy, whether she was their or not. "Leave." Tea wasn't sure how but it came out calmly, which was what she needed. The best way to deal with brutish men like this was to stay calm, it always unnerved them. She saw his smirk drop as her calm demeanor remained intact.

Suddenly a smiling little girl stepped into the large domineering room, caring a basket of freshly baked rolls. She stopped mid step when she saw who else was in the room. The frown that had formed on Shane's brow dissolved at the sight of the girl, he smiled and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to him.

The girl dropped the basket, causing the bread to scatter, and she screamed such a high pitch Tea had to resist with all her might not to shield her ears, that would be showing Shane weakness and that wasn't something she could afford. Trying to drown out the noise and focus on something other then her pounding eardrums, Tea stood up, never loosing eye contact with the man. "Let her go." Tea stayed calm, it had worked with him before, she needed to stay calm.

He smiled a wicked smile and clutched the girl's throat, lifting her up in the air. Tea could hear the child gasping for air, she wouldn't last long. He continued his grin seeing Tea's face panicked. "Make me." Shane snapped his fingers with his free hand and a hoard of duel monsters surrounded him, blocking any entrance to the girl.

Tea closed her eyes and concentrated on the girl, the girl that had long black hair with split ends, the girl who couldn't be past the age of 12, the girl with deep green eyes, the girl who was going to die if Tea didn't do anything.

Tea reopened her eyes all the while focusing, taking a large breath and exhaling, her sights shifted. Her vision swerved through the army of monsters, past the death traps awaiting her and towards the small girl. There she was, still in the death grip, barely breathing. Tea could feel the girl's heart slowing down.

Tea readjusted her senses and found herself back from where she started. Taking a step forward, and hoping beyond hope it would work, she walked towards her brother. She walked past the duel monsters that were at any minute waiting to jump her, and focused on her mission. Save the girl.

Shane was obviously the muscle of the family and was more than likely wanting to show off his might at every chance he could manage, facing off her, one on one, is probably what he wants, therefore, she would be let through unharmed. She hoped.

So there she stood, in front of her brother, as he continued to strangle the girl. Placing her hand on his wrist she pressed a pressure point while he continued to stare at her amusingly. His gaze changed when she pressed harder. His eyes became focused; Tea knew he must be fighting every will in his disproportioned body not to release the girl. This wasn't a battle of swords; this was a battle of strength, who would give up first.

Tea pressed harder, calling in all the remaining strength in her body, as she felt the girls pulse come to almost a stop. She was pressing as hard as she could, and was surprised Shane's wrist hadn't snapped yet, any normal person would have given up long ago, from the overwhelming pain or a possibly broken wrist. Tea wouldn't last much longer herself; it was calling on to much strength, to much energy. She continued to look in the man's eyes, he was weakening as well.

Finally she gave one last push of energy and the girl dropped to the floor. Shane clutched his reddened wrist and took a step back, trying to regain his footing. Tea collapsed on the floor immediately grabbing the girl to check for a pulse.

There was still a slight beat, faint, but there.

Trying to gain enough energy she stood up and faced the man in front of her. "Leave."

"Bitch." He pulled out a knife from his pant leg and made a stab at her with his left, uninjured, hand. Dodging, Tea grabbed the girl and ran over to the table where her friends awaited her.

With the adrenaline gone she crouched under the table as Mako blocked a sword from slicing her in half. Once she caught her breath she peered over the table to see Mako and several other monsters battling the ones Shane had brought forth.

That was when she saw it, one of the monsters, one of her own, was stabbed through the heart by Shane. Tea's breath was caught in her throat. Blood. Blood was everywhere. That was all she could see, red. Tea brought her hands up to her face to block the sight but before she did, she noticed something. Blood, it was on her hands.

Looking down in horror as she saw the small girl who had nearly choked to death, with blood dripping out of her mouth. Tea brought her hands up to her own mouth to cover the scream dieing to be released. The lack of air must have caused internal damage. She didn't get their soon enough, Tea didn't save her, the girl was dieing.

"Oh my god." Tea stood up, trying to find help for the small child in front of her. She needed help; she wasn't going to last with out help. This was all Tea's fault, this was all her fault, those were the three words currently running through Tea's head. Because she followed her instincts and remained relaxed instead of immediately taking action against Shane, this girl was going to die. But if she would have charged he would have killed the girl instantly, but, maybe he wouldn't have? Maybe because of her decisions…it was her fault. Everyone was dieing because of her, they were trying to protect her. This whole blood bath was because she made a wrong decision. She didn't even know this girls name, or the duel monsters.

Tea looked up, tears pouring, desperately trying to find a familiar face in the chaos surrounding her. So much death, one by one she saw creatures fall to the ground. Looking farther she saw Shane leaning against a wall, smiling as he watched the fight, enjoying, no, basking in the horror before him. That was when a monster charged at him, without a second thought he pulled out a sword and stabbed the creature in the leg then grabbed his head, twisting it and breaking the neck.

Another charged, similar actions transpired. Finally Shane looked at Tea, noticing her gaze transfixed upon him, he grabbed the nearest monster, which happened to be his own, and stabbed it through the throat. He yelled over the noise. "I don't care who I have to kill to get to you Anzu."

Tea dropped to her knees, the sound of the battle filtering into her mind and slowly dripping down into her soul. This was all her fault, that girl was going to die because of her, these soldiers, monster and human alike, were all going to die because of her, her friends…they were all going to die.

"I'll be back baby sister." Shane walked out the door and whistled, his red eyes black dragon coming at his beck and call, smashing in the once stable ceiling, making the unbreakable stone seem like fragile bread crumbs. With that Shane flew off into the distance his army closely behind him, destroying everything in its wake.

Tea remained on her knees, pools of blood and bodies surrounding her. She heard footsteps approaching her, they seemed weary. Out of the corner of her eye, still in her daze, she saw a small hand reach out towards her shoulder. With that one touch reality came blaring back to her. Tea screamed and slapped the hand away. "Don't touch me!"

Tears continued with no intention to stop.

"Anzu?"

She looked up to see Mekubo watching her. It had been his hand that had reached out to her. No, he couldn't be near her, she would get him killed, she would get everyone killed, Shane had made that perfectly clear. Mekubo took another step forward; all Tea's fears came rushing back to her once again. "No! Get away from me! Get away!"

With that a gold light encased her body, outlining her to the slightest detail, filling in her eyes with a bright gold glow. As the light receded so did she, transporting her somewhere away, somewhere where she wouldn't hurt the ones she loved.

* * *

Seth looked out his balcony towards the moon; it shined blue with a slight red tint. Red was a fitting color for tonight, red was extremely appropriate.

He sighed and looked down at the garden to see a patch of disoriented colored flowers in a white field. He tried to suppress a smile as he remembered him tormenting Anzu about having flees, but a small smirk made its way through. He turned his head to face his bed where the form of his little brother resided. Watching it for a few more minutes he listed for Mekubo's silent breathing patterns.

After the incident with Anzu and her flight out of the temple, Mekubo wouldn't stop crying, he fell asleep crying. It was happening all over again.

Yet, he couldn't help but feel he was slightly responsible, or at least guilty. The last time he had spoken to her, he said things he didn't mean, things he didn't want to say, but…she just, she just knew how to get to him and he didn't know how to deal with it. Even before that he probably could have been nicer to her, maybe she wouldn't feel so…whatever it was she was feeling.

As much as he hated to admit it, over the years Anzu had gained his respect, she stood up to him while others cowered in fear. Not that he always liked that defiant trait of hers, he really didn't like being in jail, or having his money spent, or having things poured all over him, but, she was oddly enough something he found himself looking forward to.

* * *

"Announcing Lord Darus, ambassador to King Broek and her majesty Queen Asmara."

The Pharaoh looked away from the treaty he was debating over to see three more of his guests arrive. He stood up and smiled, "I am honored that you came, I presume you have already been to your rooms?"

"Yes we have and they are as wonderful as last time." spoke Lord Darus "My King and Queen were wondering if they could meet you and some of your Lords."

"That is understandable, I believe Lord Jyo and Lord Tori are in the kitchen trying to steal some of the food intended for tonight."

"No, those aren't the two."

"What do you mean?"

"They would like to meet the other two under your ruler ship."

"High Priest Seth and Lady Anzu?"

"Yes Pharaoh Yami."

Yami sighed and tried not to look overwhelmed. "High Priest Seth is currently working in the gardens, attempting to figure out why all the flowers are dieing and Lady Anzu is…she's not available at the moment."

"Why is she not available, if you don't mind my asking Pharaoh Yami?" said Queen Asmara

Yami looked at the three in front of him, wondering if he should tell them what exactly has happened, the problem was if he showed any sign of weakness to their allies he could very well be left without any allies, but as allies they deserved to know. "I don't know if you know but Lady Anzu is the younger sister of the three Guardian brothers."

"No, we did not," answered the King "but why would that matter?"

"Because even as an illegitimate child, she is still one of their fathers heirs and because of that she gained the power of her father when he was killed, and she now stands in their way to becoming the head of the Guardian clan. As long as just one heir lives, aside from themselves, they cannot gain the full power of their father, so, they try to kill each other."

"So they try to kill Anzu?"

"Yes, she is an obstacle for them, and unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on which way you look at it, Anzu does not want a war, does not want to fight, and cannot stand to see those she loves hurt because of what see perceives as her fault, putting her in a state of depression."

"So their was an attack?"

"Last night. We aren't completely sure where she is right now. All we know is that she is still on temple grounds."

"She is the only reason you have lasted this long, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is. The monsters here are under her rule and we can only use and summon them because she permits it, without her, we have already lost."

"Well then, we must get her back, for not only our sakes, but hers as well." said Queen Asmara

* * *

Tea lay crying in the middle of a wildflowers field, desperately trying to get the voices in her head to stop chanting. "Your fault" she heard again, "You will kill them" she covered her ears, trying to block out their taunting, "it would be better if you didn't exist, they would be safe". She wanted to scream, and inside she was as she watched the bloody mangled corpses of the previous night fall before her once again.

She stood up, tears still pouring as she dragged herself to the ledge, viewing the scene around her. This was why Anzu was so distraught, this was why Anzu locked herself up in her room, and this was why she agreed with Anzu.

"Anzu!"

Tea looked up to see Harpy flying towards her, Tea cringed in fear, not for herself, but for her friend.

"Anzu! I knew you would be up in the garden, it took me forever to break that barrier, please, please come down, we need you."

Harpy took a step forward, when Anzu saw this the voices in her head grew louder.

"Please Anzu, we need you, Mekubo needs you, Yami needs you, whether he wants to admit it or not, Seth needs you, Anzu I need you. Please."

Tea clutched her hands over her ears trying to block out Harpy's words. "No, get away, leave me alone!"

"Anzu!" Harpy took another step forward, in doing so pushing Tea's mental stability over the edge.

The golden light once again encased her, reacting to the fear building up inside her body, and as it receded, so did she, the last thing Tea saw was Harpy's form reaching out to her, trying to grab her before she disappeared.

Tea found herself back in her room, the room she wasn't going to leave again. Running over to the door she slammed the stone door shut with the combination of her muscles and mind, drawing on her powers for help. No one was going to step through this door again, going in or out.

* * *

"This has been a splendid visit Pharaoh Yami, I only wish we could have met Lady Anzu." said one of the Pharaoh's allies

"I know, I would have thought four days would be enough to draw her out." said another

"I know, well, at least we can enjoy this last feast tonight." answered Yami

Mekubo suddenly came around the corner, eyes downcast and his form dragging. Seth looked over to see his brother back in his depressioned state. He just didn't know what to do, the first time was hard enough but this time was even worse, Mekubo never smiled anymore, barely ate anything and only talked when spoken to and even those answers were grunts most of the time. "Come on Mekubo lets sit down and eat."

There they all sat, all the delegates, all the allies, even some of the head General duel monsters were there. Dice, Harpy and Fisherman were their as well, each trying to ignore the conversations around them, one in particular.

"This Lady Anzu is just weak, that's what I think, she's in the middle of a war of course there is going to be death." said a battle worn general from the north who had drunk one to many glasses of wine "I mean, did she think it was going to be rainbows and butterflies?"

Harpy could feel her nails digging into her clutched hand, it was all she could do from tearing this guy's throat out of his neck.

Dice was in the same position, desperately trying to focus on anything other than this man's ranting, he made a quick glance over to Mekubo who in his opinion looked like he was about to break down then and there at the dinner table.

Fisherman was not on the same emotional level as his fellow comrades, he on the other hand was staring at the man so fiercely it was clear and completely unhidden how he wished to torture this man in front of him.

"I mean, so she gets freaked out by blood? What if I prick my finger, is she going to abandon everyone she knows and who loves her? What a wench."

"Enough!"

Everyone turned around to face an extremely hot tempered woman in gold and purple armor with wings coming out of her back. She looked at the man who had just insulted everything she knew and loved.

"Anzu is not some weakling, in fact I believe that it makes her stronger, her caring about her friends the way she does. She's doing this for us you know. She's protecting us. If you haven't noticed her brothers are out to kill her and anyone she cares about, by locking herself in her room she feels as if she is doing nothing to them so they will leave us alone! Anzu is to kind hearted and loving to realize what tyrants we are dealing with. She sees all this death and perceives it as her fault because she is here; she's locking herself up because she loves us! If that's freaking weakness then I don't know what strength is!"

"I must say that was a moving speech Harpy, you will be a good leader under my rule, as soon as I get rid of that loyalty thing you have going on for my baby sister." Everyone immediately turned around to see Shane Guardian clapping his hands while he in turn looked at them. "I must say, that really was inspirational, though not entirely true."

Harpy grabbed her sword, she was going to kill the man who had caused her best friend so much pain. "I'll rip your heart out, that is if I can find one." She lunged forward but was caught by a steady hand. She looked behind her to see none other then Seth holding her sword.

"Wait, there is something he said that caught my attention, besides, I seriously doubt Anzu loosing you will help her any."

Harpy dropped her sword knowing Seth was right, but never let her gaze drop from Shane.

Seth looked up at Shane trying to keep his own emotions under control. "Normally I would be asking how you got in here but I think I'll go with what do you mean, not entirely her fault?"

Shane smiled, "My older brother, Alec, he's been after all of us as you know, but has lately decided Anzu is the weakest link, in doing so targeting her. Sending her metal demons if you will to diminish her mental stability. Yes, it does call on a great deal of strength and I will go after him once I kill Anzu, knowing how much he will be weakened."

"You mean to tell me the way Anzu is now, isn't her fault?"

"Oh no, it's her fault, the fears she feels now are all her own, just enforced and intensified a bit, who am I kidding, a lot. Now, since my dear baby sister isn't here to protect you, I'm going to kill you. Starting with the little brat she cares so much about."

* * *

A woman about 5'8 with short black hair ran through the temple halls, desperately trying to reach her destination. She made a sharp turn to the right, almost crashing into the thick stone wall. Stopping abruptly she looked at the cold stone door in front of her, tears silently sliding down her face.

She threw herself against the door with all her might, hitting it will every muscle the had. "Please, Lady Anzu! It's Shane, he's here in the main hall, he's going to kill everyone! Please my Lady, we need you."

Tea sat in her bed with red puffy eyes as she listened to the woman outside her door. Clutching the sheets closer she tried to block out her words.

"Please, I barely escaped, but he's going to kill everyone, starting with Mekubo! Please if you love him at all save him! You promised you wouldn't leave him again remember! Please, if you love any of us, Yami, Seth, Tori, Jyo, the people themselves, please!"

Tea listened as the woman's breath became harder and harder as she became more tired and distraught. Listening closer she heard the woman slide down to the floor and start to cry, once in a while whispering 'please', 'please'.

Mekubo, he was going to kill Mekubo, and Seth, and Yami. If he won, how would he treat the people? With the same malice he carried with his soldiers? She wasn't involved, so why was he here? Were her instincts perhaps, right?

* * *

Mekubo felt his body bruise under the force of the wall as he was thrown once again by Shane. He tried to stand up but it only resulted in another kick to the stomach, once again landing him across the room and back on the floor. He could taste blood dripping out of his mouth. Somehow he managed to look up as he saw Shane's figure smiling over him.

"You know as amusing as this has been I have others who Anzu loves who I must kill, but I must say, your death will be one of the hardest blows for her, probably devastate her past saving, which is why I am going to enjoy this so much." Shane pulled out his sword, ready to thrust it at the small black haired boy in front of him. "Maybe you'll get lucky and your after life won't be as disappointing as your actual life."

Shane thrusted the sword down and Mekubo squeezed his eyes shut, knowing he was going to die. He saw images flash before him, him and his brother when they were younger playing together, him and Anzu playing jokes on the palace guards, Anzu hugging his brother, even if it was to pour juice all over Seth, it was a moment he would always cherish.

Seth watched as his younger brother was thrown around the room, and here he was, trapped by three duel monsters each holding him down, forcing him to watch. He just couldn't stand to see the last thing he actually cared about be ripped away from him, but their was nothing he could do. He was utterly powerless.

Shane brought the sword down on the quivering form beneath him as he thought of the glory it would bring him. So he did, he brought the sword down full force.

Mekubo continued to block out everything around him, just wishing he could have seen Anzu on last time, that's all he wanted. To see the woman who had treated him like he was her family, an older extremely protective sister who border lined with being a mom. That's all he wanted. But while laying there he noticed something, he wasn't dead yet. Their was no piercing pain coursing though his senses, no gushing blood, no screams.

He slowly opened his eyes to see the tip of the blade hovering above him, dead center between his eyes. As his vision moved up the blade he noticed something strange, their was an extra hand on the hilt. A woman's long delicate fingers graced the handle with its presence. He followed both arms up to see Shane with a fierce yet surprised look on his face while the woman with long brown hair looked at him menacingly.

She twisted the blade and yanked it up only to have the hilt hit Shane in the nose. Shane immediately dropped the sword and grabbed his now bleeding, possibly broken, nose while still staring at the figure before him in disbelief. "Anzu?"

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size."

* * *

"How is it I didn't even know Tea, Tea Gardner, little miss cheerleader, owns eight percent of my company?" asked Seto

"Hey, you're the organized one who freakishly knows everything, this is as new to me as it is to you." answered Mokuba, "So, technically Tea has been pulling one over you for a long time now huh?"

"Mokuba?"

"Yes big brother?"

"If you want to reach your teen years, I'd stop."

"I'm just saying-"

"Mokuba."

"Stopping." There was silence in the room, no one talked, no one moved, all that was heard were silent breathing patterns. "So Tea's really rich?"

"Looks that way."

"She's really rich off of you?"

"Teen years."

"Stopping again." The nerve wrecking silence continued. "Do you think that is how she pays for all her bills?"

"From the looks of it yes, though it makes me wonder how and when she started. According to Zola her medical bill have been paid off since she was 14-years-old. That was before she moved here."

"Guess she started early."

"I wonder what sparked it, most girls would just get a waitress job."

A knocking sound was heard on the door. Seto turned around and saw one of the maids step forward. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"There are, um, a few girls here to see you."

"There are always a few girls here to see me, get rid of them."

"I tried sir, they won't leave they keep on saying that girls name too."

"What girls name?"

"Tea Gardner sir."

Seto looked down at Mokuba in wonder, they hadn't been expecting anyone. "What kind of clothes are they wearing? School uniforms?"

"No sir, street clothes sir."

"Big brother who do you think they are?"

"Get your filthy ass out of my way, in case you haven't noticed I am an extremely pregnant woman who happens to be rather temperamental!"

Suddenly the very pregnant woman stepped through the door, she had short dark brown hair that in certain lights looked black, while on her feet she wore different colored shoes. Seto immediately recognized her, she was Angelica, the woman from the baby shower. "Where the hell is this Seto Kaiba?"

Seto wasn't sure if he wanted to point himself out or not, she looked like she was going to tackle him, unfortunately she recognized him when she looked over at the couch. Angelica marched over to him and stared at him strait in the eyes, as if trying to scare him. Suddenly she threw herself at him and hugged him in the middle. "I can't believe it, Tea's in a coma, thank you so much for helping to take care of her!"

Seto didn't know what to do; he'd never been in a situation like this before. Suddenly Angelica sat back up and hit him on the arm. "Why didn't you call me in person and tell me this had happened? You dumb ass!"

Once again Seto was at a standstill, what the hell was wrong with this woman? First she looks like she's going to kill him, then hugs him, then hits him? Bipolar was a word that came to mind, or possibly Multiple Personality Disorder.

Angelica started to cry again, only this time she didn't try to hug him. "What am I going to do? You'd never be able to find a better person than her. I'm depressed, I need food, I want chocolate!"

A woman standing in the back emerged, she had bright red hair and was rather tall, Seto immediately recognized her at Cassandra. "You must be Mokuba, right?" She looked over at Mokuba.

"Ya," Mokuba smiled at the recognition, normally people only knew who his brother was. "how'd you know?"

"Tea kind of loves to talk about you, that and she sent a few pictures when I kept on asking what you looked like. Do you think you could help Angelica here with some chocolate?"

"Sure, is that ok big brother?" Mokuba looked at Seto with pleading eyes.

Seto sighed in defeat. "Alright, head up to the kitchen that we cooked in while Zola was here."

Angelica perked up. "Oh I love chocolate, what a sweet boy you are, I know I'm going to like you."

Seto listened as he heard the two head out the door, that girl was crazy. He turned to Cassandra. "This is a surprise."

"Yes, I know and sorry for the sudden appearance. Angelica insisted that she come and what a pregnant woman wants a pregnant woman gets, and I'll tell you one thing, that was a long trip. In about two days we head back, that being her last day of being able to fly."

"What about you, don't you have work?"

"Yes, but I convinced my boss that assisting a pregnant woman across the nation was a nurses duty incase she went into labor."

"Sly, so if you're here to see Tea, why did you stop by here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Tea actually, Mickey told me everything that you're doing for her and that he told you about the way he found her and I just wanted to add in my own input and I figured this was my chance."

"I can't think of anything you could tell me that Zola already hasn't."

"Well this isn't exactly something Mickey would think to tell you, even if he did know. You've probably already gotten the tape right?"

"Just finished watching it actually."

"So you know about her owning eight percent of your company?"

There was silence as Seto re-evaluated everything, how again did he not know this? "Oh, what? Right, I know."

"Your company is by far what she owns the most in, but I figured I'd tell you why, I know it's something you would want to hear, since I know how much trouble you went through with your step dad Gozuburo."

"What does any of this have to do with him?"

Cassandra looked at the young man in front of her. He was exactly what Tea had described. "It was a few years ago, Tea was 12-years-old and as lively as ever…

_Tea sat in the middle of the kitchen doing her homework, which was when Cassandra stepped in the room. "Tea, since Mickey is out tonight and I'm in charge, and we're low on staff-"_

"_Could I help?" Tea smirked "Sure Aunt Cassy."_

_Tea grabbed an order form and a pen, heading out into the customer portion of the restaurant. After helping out with a few of the tables she headed over to the back room, where the 'special' customers, or in her terms, the complainers, sat. There in the middle of the room sat non other than Gozuburo Kaiba, the man who owned the legendary company Kaiba Corp. With him sat another man who in Tea's opinion didn't look to be legal._

_Slowing down a bit she listened in on their conversation. "Don't worry Kaiba, no one would look for us here, and even if they did it's not like if someone goes missing in this neighbor hood it would matter."_

_Tea walked over. "Can I take your order sirs?"_

_Gozuburo turned around, "What do they have that is actually edible here?"_

_Tea saw the man on the other side take a bite out of the bread. "Not the bread, that's for sure." She suppressed a smirk when he started choking._

"_Well aren't you just a little smart ass?"_

"_Well aren't you just the multibillion heir that is selling illegal products?"_

"_Here's fifty bucks, now scram you filthy street rat."_

_Tea grabbed the money and headed off to the kitchen, looking for Cassandra. "Some bastards are in the back, they tried to by me off." She held out the fifty. "God only knows what they would have done if I hadn't of taken the money." She threw it in the tip jar._

_Cassandra rolled her eyes and picked up the phone. "Hey Daniel, it's me, we have some more guys in the back, alright, in a few."_

"_It's Gozuburo Kaiba with Richey."_

"_Great, Mickey's going to kill me if there is some type of gun bust going down."_

_Dan stepped into the room, with a crow bar in his hands. "Need any help?"_

"_Not yet Uncle Dan, I'm going to go back up and give them some drinks now."_

"_Maybe Cassandra should go Tea?"_

"_No, they might think we called the cops then, we don't need an enemy like those two." Tea grabbed some wine._

"_So what exactly were they talking about?"_

"_Looks like their going to whack somebody, I'm going to try and figure out who it is."_

"_I swear if you get yourself caught-"_

_Tea smiled as she thought of their joke. "I know, you'll leave me to rot in jail till you get bored then kick my ass because I didn't listen to you in the first place, then drag me back to the kitchen and…" she shuttered, "clean the kitchen, starting with," she shuttered again, "the ovens." She shuttered once again, just thinking of that was enough to not get caught, because the last part was a very high possibility on the punishments list._

_Tea headed up the stairs and over to the two, slowing down when they started to talk, something about a banker, she poured the wine, and a house. _

_Tea sat in the kitchen thinking about what she had heard, a banker, a house, who were they talking about? Oh, shit, it was Alfie Moore wasn't it? He was known for shady dealings and wasn't always able to pay them off._

_Tea jumped out of her chair and grabbed her Aunt, telling her about it on the way. Running down the street they both headed over to Alfie's house. There they saw him on the ground bleeding, Gozuburo and Rickey standing over him with a few hired thugs around them._

_Another blow was about to be dealt but Tea jumped in the way and kicked the guy with the crowbar between the legs. When another guy charged she thrusted up her palm and hit his nose, breaking it. One by one the men when down, by a small pissed off 12-year-old girl. She turned and looked at the tall man in the business suit before her. "Back off."_

"_You're getting annoying." She looked at Gozuburo strait in the eyes. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a duel monsters deck hanging from his neck, funny she never pictured him as a player. "What are you looking at?"_

"_Your cards."_

_He smiled. "These were my sons, he was placed in a coma about four months ago, I wear these to remember him by, you play?"_

"_No actually I hate the game, I find it cruel."_

"_Why would that be?"_

"_I just do."_

_He smiled again. "I'll tell you what, I'll play you, you win I leave Alfie here alone, I win, I get that little restraunt, it would make great parking."_

_Tea looked at the suit in front of her, he obviously thought this was going to be easy. It's not like she'd actually ever played the game before and she hated it, so she wouldn't know the rules, what to do? She looked at her Aunt for support. Cassandra nodded her head, Mickey would understand. He wouldn't be happy but he would understand. _

"_I don't have any cards."_

_Alfie sat up, clutching his ribs. "Tea I can't ask you to do this for me. I got myself into this, I'll get myself out."_

"_Alfie, the only reason you got into this was because your boss screwed you over and you have a family of five to feed, I'm helping."_

_Alfie knew he was defeated from the tone in her voice. "Junior, give Tea your cards, same for you Abby, you too Mike." The three children ran to Tea from inside the house and handed her their cards, each with pleading eyes, it was a well known fact Tea didn't like this game._

_Tea shuffled the cards and drew out five, "Alright, let's play."_

Cassandra sighed, as she remembered that day.

"So what happened?" asked Seto

Cassandra laughed. "She kicked his ass, four minutes flat. He wasn't going to keep his word though, until I pulled out a tape recorder which had copied the entire conversation. He left after that, something about it not being worth it. And about a week later was when you took over Kaiba Corp." she laughed again "Now that's a blow to the ego, beat by two kids in a week, and that's was when Tea bought some stock in your company, she said from what she could tell you were more honest and overall a better business man then he was, she started off with only a tiny bit, not even a fraction really. But, as your business grew, so did hers, and she expanded."

"Why is it every time I hear something new about her I'm kicked on my ass?" Seto threw himself back on his couch, looking up at the ceiling, completely worn out from the over whelming complexity of Tea's life.

"Tea's always been like that Kaiba, don't worry your not alone. Truth is, the guy she ends up with better be as complex as her or she'll probably get bored. In fact, I'd say the same about you. You can't be with someone who won't keep you guessing every day, who won't challenge you to be your best, that's why you can't stand your fan club, you tell them to sit, they sit, where's the challenge, that's boring.

"Tea is very complex and there are things about her I don't know, that I will never know, that I prefer not to know. I don't want to know how those broken pieces of glass got in her back Kaiba, or why she looked half starved, but you, you need to know, you need to know because Tea is your challenge."

"Are you suggesting Tea and I are together?"

"Hell no, Mickey and Daniel would kill me if I ever tried to set their little girl up with someone, I'm just saying you and Tea were born to be together, that's all."

"But…that's …same…crazy…"

It was at this time, during Seto's inability to form complete sentences, that Angelica and Mokuba both stepped in the room, each with chocolate over their faces. "Well, that was fun, let's go see Tea now, I have to go yell at her for leaving me with a cheating husband." said Angelica all the while smiling

"Angelica, your husband is not cheating on you." said Cassandra

"Well if he's not cheating on my why didn't that bastard come?"

"Because you told him if you saw him again in the next two weeks you were going to slaughter him and feed his corpse to the junkyard guard dogs."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"Oh that's right, I did, forgot, alright let's go."

"I hope Tea knows how much she owes me." Cassandra left the room and waved good-bye to the two Kaiba brothers.

After she headed out the door Seto and Mokuba looked at each other. "Tea has a really weird family, no wonder she didn't want any one to know about them, their all crazy." said Seto turning to look at the door.

"Really? I thought Angelica was really nice. Cassandra seemed sane." answered Mokuba

"You think her telling me Tea and I are destined to be together is sane? I'm taking you for a cat scan, come on, let's go." Seto picked up his younger brother and threw him over his shoulders.

"Seto, come on, is you and Tea such a bad idea?"

"And we're going to the pharmacy, they have pills for people with delusions there."

"Big brother!" screamed Mokuba as Seto carried him out the door.

* * *

Firevixen73-So did everyone like it, I tried to make this chapter longer as a holiday treat, did it work? I can't compare because I'm on a different computer, the other one crashed which sucks because I already had other chapters for some different stories already done but I can't post them till we get it back. So now I'm on me dad's business one, shhh, don't tell. Have a great New Year! Please review! I hope no one took the whole pills and disorder thing serious, I have a friend who was diagnosed as bipolar and takes medication for it and he's one of the nicest people you'll find. Hope that cleared the air, have a great holiday and break! 


	10. Releaseing Frustrations

Firvixen73- In case you haven't noticed, which I'm sure you have, I do most of what Seto finds out about Tea through home movies and flashbacks. I have a few other ideas on things to use but they haven't been of use yet, so if anyone has any ideas of their own that would be great. I wanted to thank all my reviewers for the great reviews!

* * *

Shane looked at the woman in front of him, she was strong, fierce, intimidating, but most of all, pissed off. "Anzu?"

The woman looked at him fiercely. "I don't like people picking on the ones I love Shane, I think it's time you learned that."

"What are you doing out of your room?" He still couldn't believe she was here, in front of him, not cowering in fear.

She walked over to the life size statue that held two medium sized swords in its hands. She pulled them out, the slicing sound of the blades echoing through the room. In each hand she held a sword, each blade reaching approximately from her elbow to her wrist.

"What? What are you doing?" He asked, he looked back at the deadly blades she held in her seemingly delicate hands.

"You said you wanted to fight, you said you would stop at nothing to get to me, well guess what, no stops, I'm already here." Tea moved into a fighting stance, feet spread apart and her body crouched down slightly, she lifted the blades to eye level, the one in her right hand remained closer to her face for a hard strike while the one in her left remained out a bit farther, intended for blocking.

He shook his head and smirked. "I don't know how you broke out of Alec's hold, but it doesn't matter, 'cause I'm still going to kill you." He picked up two metal spears and started to twirl them around his body with his hands.

"I don't care what you think you're going to do, but if you want to touch anyone in this room, you'll have to get by me first."

"I guess it doesn't really matter in what order the members of this small minuscule of a resistance dies, it's going to happen anyway." He took a few steps forward and immediately stopped the twirling, positioning himself in his own fighting stance.

Tea smirked, if she went down, she wasn't going alone.

Without warning Shane charged at her, thrusting the heavy spears in her direction. She blocked with her left and attacked with her right, while Shane blocked her attack and tried to slice her. She ducked and spun around, blocking another attack with one of her blades, mid spin.

He slammed his spear down onto the ground attempting to split her in two but she dodged out of the way and rammed her feet into his shins, tripping him. Arching her back and pushing herself up with one push she landed on two feet, swords once again ready. She looked over to see Shane spinning around, ready to start again.

Seth watched in amazement as Anzu blocked attack after attack, she was so fast, so precise, so, perfect. In every move that she made not one mistake was made: she never lost her balance, she didn't hesitate and her stance remained as strong as when she started. He was having a hard time keeping up with her movements.

Shane smirked. "Alright, that's enough warm ups, time for the fight to begin."

"Agreed."

Suddenly Shane was behind her, as quick as lightning, spear above her head, but Tea blocked the attack with one smooth motion of her sword. She jumped up into the air, grabbing Shane's shoulders for leverage and hoisted herself up, for a split second doing a handstand on her enemy's shoulders. She tumbled down into a roll and pushed with her feet, landing behind him, with her arms she reached for his arms which where making their way around his waist for any possible attack she had planned; she slammed them together, causing him to drop one of the spears.

He immediately grabbed a shield and blocked her next attack. Throwing the shield at her Tea did three back handsprings as he once again charged at her with a new found sword, currently in his possession.

"I must admit, your pretty good." he said while looking at her menacingly

Tea twirled the blades around her fingers a few times then suddenly stopped, catching them so the blades now pressed up against her forearm, realizing she was going to have to look for a new stragity. "Compliments of growing up on the streets."

"Well, lets see, I grew up with the best trainers in the world by my side, making sure I was perfect in every way."

"So what happened to you if you made a small mistake? Did you get do-overs? Cause where I grew up, you slipped once and you were dead. One mess up and you lost everything."

"Price of being poor."

She smirked, "Price of being rich."

"What does that mean?"

She smirked again and twirled the blades, once more moving back into her fighting stance. Suddenly he felt a blinding pain in his arm; looking down he saw a deep red gash stretching across his it. "That." she smirked

"Bitch."

"Proud of it."

He kicked the nearest candle stand in her direction causing her to dodge once again; she flipped out of the way and continued to block his attacks. Bock after block, hit after hit, not a second was spared as they continued to fight, this was to the death, everyone knew it, the only question was who would come out alive?

Drawing on some more of her strength Tea threw the medium sized blades at Shane, as if they were merely daggers. He immediately jumped out of the way and looked at his defenseless baby sister. He swung but Tea blocked him with her arms, twisting him over her back. He tripped her and she fell to the floor, barely managing to save herself from his attack by rolling out of the way.

A piercing pain went coursing through her body as she realized she had not dodged completely. His sword had managed to slice her back. Damit, she was never going to win like this, maybe she wasn't going to win? Then a memory came back to her, one that happened only a few days ago, one that had helped to bring her out of her depression state.

"_Anzu?"_

_Tea looked up from her blankets as she heard the masculine voice coming from the other side of the door. But that was impossible; it couldn't be him, could it?_

"_Anzu, it's me, Seth. I know I'm probably one of the last people you want to hear from right now, but, I need to talk to you. Open up."_

_Oh my god, it was him, what was he doing here? Probably here to gloat or something, why couldn't the world just leave her alone, she didn't even want to be in this stupid time._

"_Fine if you won't open up I'll just stand here like an idiot talking to a door. You need to come back out. Mokuba, he hasn't smiled since, since that after noon. He gets more and more depressed each day, I can't…I can't stop it. He needs you Anzu."_

_She continued to look at the door as if she would suddenly be able to see him standing there. _

"_Listen, and about what, what I said the other day, I didn't mean it ok? I was just in a bad mood and you happened to be the first person I saw. I'm…"_

_Oh my god, was he trying to apologize? She wasn't sure about the Seto in this time, but, the Seto in her time didn't believe in apologizing, it was 'beneath him'. Tea got up from her tear stained bed and walked over to the door, tempted to open it, to see if he was actually sincere with his words._

"_I'm…sor- oh god I can't believe I'm actually doing this, you're probably not even in there."_

_Tea pulled back her hand as she heard his footsteps become silent. _

She reopened her eyes and managed to spare a glance at Seth. In his arms he cradled Mekubo, who she knew was in pain. The look on his face showed her what she needed to do, she needed to finish this, she needed to kill him. But she couldn't do this alone, Shane was just as good as her and with the cut on her back, killing him was going to be even harder that it originally was.

Maybe she could use her pain to her advantage, adrenaline was usually a sure thing, but, there was no way she could kill Shane on her own, she needed Seth. She once again searched for his face, the two made eye contact and she just prayed he knew what he needed to do.

Tea saw his sword out of the corner of her eye and rolled out of the way once again, she swung her feet in the air and was once again on both legs. Shane swung again but she grabbed the sword's blade with her hands, stopping it once again.

Droplets of blood found themselves dripping off the cool, sharp, metal blade and onto the floor as they fell from her hands. Tea struggled with every ounce of strength she had to hold the blade still, they were only going to get one chance and the adrenaline from her wounds would only last so long.

* * *

Shane pushed the blade harder against the bleeding woman's hands; she must be in excruciating pain, the thought made him smile. Suddenly he felt a person behind him and he immediately dropped the blade and turned to face his new attacker. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Anzu drop to the ground, she had obviously used up all her remaining strength, she was no longer any threat

A blast of gold light made itself known as it headed strait for him. He jumped out of the way, taking a few steps backwards. He looked up to see the High Priest Seth looking at him, Millennium Rod glowing bright gold. The monsters who had previously been restraining him were on the ground, unmoving, while Seth himself had a few deep gashes and cuts running along his body. A dark bruise made itself known on his right cheek.

"Nice try but did you actually think that would work on me? Even if you had managed to hit me it would have only stunned me."

"My intent wasn't to stun you." His breathing was labored.

"Then what was it for, to kill me, you mortals are a strange breed, I would have thought you would know by now I cannot be beat. If Anzu, who has the same heritage as me, stands no chance then what are you doing still fighting? Were you trying to kill me? Tell me, what was your intent?"

Seth's ever so famous smirk somehow made its way to his obviously worn out form. "To distract you."

"Wha-" He stopped as red started to pour out of his mouth, he struggled to stand as his body seemed incapable to hold itself. He looked down to see the tip of his blade poking out of his stomach, dark with blood…his blood.

A slicing noise was heard as the sword was slowly drawn out. He fell to the floor. Staring up to the ceiling he looked over to see Anzu leaning towards him. She carefully stood up on her legs and pulled the blade up to her waist, using it as support for her own exhausted body.

"You-" He tried to talk but each time he opened his mouth a new pool of blood found it's way onto the floor. Slowly the light around him seemed to fade and the overwhelming darkness seemed to be all that remained. The last thing he saw before the world went black was Seth's blurry figure walking up to him, standing next to Anzu, who was currently the only thing in focus.

He looked one more time as even she became faded and he headed into the unknown realm of death.

* * *

Tea watched at the beast before her took his last breath, she struggled to say on her own two feet as she watched him. Without warning her limbs gave way and she collapsed to the ground, only to feel the strong, comforting embrace of muscular arms catching her.

* * *

Tea felt the warming rays of light cascading over her body, engulfing her very essence, drawing her in through its purity. She opened her deep blue eyes and could practically feel the glorious rays seeping through her skin. She loved the sun; it reminded her of so many things. Hope. Hope brought all things to the light, it was one of the only things that could give her true peace of mind.

Slowly sitting up she glanced around the large room, it was Anzu's. How was she here? Hadn't she just been in the main hall? Tea looked over to the balcony as she watched the glorious sunrise before. It was mystical.

Carefully making her way out of the soft bed before her she cautiously walked over to the balcony railings, wincing from pain only once in a while. She immediately grasped the railing before she fell to the ground from exhaustion.

I really did it, she thought, I killed him, I killed Shane. I killed a man. She shook her head, no, Shane was not a man, Shane was a beast, a murderous beast who thrived off the pain of others.

Tea readjusted her focus to the warming rays as she watched the people below her scurry along with their lives. That was what she protected, these were the people she fought for, to doubt herself the way that she did was inexcusable.

Alec, she loathed that name, the name Shane had spoken of before his demise, before he knew she was in the room. He had been the one to send her such frivolous thoughts, such, destructive thoughts. He had tried to destroy her, not physically, but mentally.

Tea looked back out over the sunset, glad to have the ability of being able to enjoy it. It was very hard in Domino to view such a magnificent sunrise or even sunset, so many buildings and smog to ruin the views. Noise as well, but this, was amazing.

While in Domino she had only seen one sunset this pure, it was the day she had been with Mokuba, Seto was at work again and ended staying at his office all night. Mokuba had begged that she come over promising that Seto had no intention to return that night. Eventually, she came. She stayed with him all night but became lost later that morning. She unfortunately walked into Kaiba's room, his shades had been closed.

Tea had always wondered what the legendary Seto Kaiba woke up to every morning, and she was going to find out. Was it perhaps the Kaiba Corp. building? View of his property, displaying his power? She threw the shades open only to be blinded with light. Opening her eyes she saw the most magnificent view, it was the sun rising over the hills.

Kaiba's house was tall enough to overlook all the buildings and sky scrapers leaving him a perfect view of nature at its peak. A willow tree resided about a mile away, adding to the already perfect scene before her.

Tea smiled at the memory, she remembered thinking Seto Kaiba probably didn't even give this wonderful view the time of day. She remembered thinking, hell, if I could see this every morning I probably wouldn't leave my room till mid after noon, she'd just sit out here and drink some chai watching everything before her.

_Walking over to the other covered window on the other side of the abnormally large room she pulled the drapes aside, she gasped. In front of her resided the magnificent city of Domino, the streets, the buildings, the everything, a full view. This must look amazing at night when the sun sets. He probably didn't appreciate that either._

"_What the hell are you doing in my room Gardner?"_

_Tea's heart seemed to stop, she felt like she was going to die, then and there. She slowly turned around on her heals and looked at the business man before her. His hair was slightly ruffled and his normally white shirt was un-tucked. Under any normal circumstances she would have been shocked at his appearance and his easy going attitude that flowed off him, but this wasn't normal now was it?_

"_I, um…"_

"_Cat got your tongue?" he smirked as he threw his brief case on his bed._

"_More like dog."_

"_Oh, is the mutt here?" He sat on his bed, still smirking at her, she was obviously trapped, and what was worse, he knew it. Damn curiosity._

"_I, um…"_

"_God Gardner, didn't know I had you for a stalker."_

_That immediately snapped her back into reality. "I'm not your bloody stocker!"_

"_Then why are you in my room?"_

"_I, um…got lost."_

"_So you decided to come to my house?"_

"_No, I…are you implying that I got lost in my own house and then came over here for your help?"_

"_No, you are."_

"_I was here to help Mokuba with an assignment. You know, you are such a…they don't even have a horrible enough word for you. From now on when the word Kaiba is said people will shock in horror because that is the worst anyone could ever be called!"_

"_Kaiba is a lat name, not a word."_

"_A name is a word idiot."_

"_Is it in the dictionary?"_

"_Well…not yet but it will be."_

"_Oh yes, they are going to change the dictionary just for you. Your special that way, now get on the short yellow bus outside and it will take you back home."_

"_You…you Kaiba!"_

"_I'm hurt."_

"_Jackass."_

"_I've stepped up a notch."_

"_Ass."_

"_I'm not the one who broke into someone's house."_

"_I didn't…why am I even arguing about this? I know I am not a stalker, I know I was here to give Mokuba an interview on his Female Rights presentation, and I know I didn't break in, so I will be leaving, horrible day to you."_

"_Horrible day to you to Gardner."_

"_Grrr." Tea stomped out the door and headed to wherever her feet happened to take her, which was eventually the front door._

Tea smiled, that was actually a relatively fond memory, Kaiba was his normal self as usual but her arguments with him always left her excited, even if it was normally a rage full excitement, they challenged her, she liked that, in a weird sort of way.

"Anzu? Anzu!" screamed a small voice from behind her

Tea slowly turned around, still holding onto the railing so not to fall, to see Mekubo frantically searching through her sheets. He looked like he was going to burst into tears. "Mekubo?"

The boy immediately stopped and looked over in her direction. He dropped the sheets he had been clutching and ran over to her, engulfing her in a large desperate hug. It was like he was afraid to let go, if he did, she would leave.

"Mekubo?"

"I thought you were gone, I didn't know where or why, but, I was scared." He buried herself deeper into her body as his fingers pressed into her back even harder, pulling her to him.

She ignored the blinding pain in her back. "I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere."

"You said that last time."

"And I came back, I'll always come back." He looked up at her with his tear stained eyes and smiled a weak smile. "Now what type of smile is that? It's like, a quarter of a smile, I know you can do better kid."

His smile grew to a full fledged grin as he continued to stare up at her; all she could do was smile back. He hugged her again, only this time with the reassurance that she would stay there.

* * *

Seto sat during the long business meeting before him, it was excruciating. A bunch of old men who claimed to know what they were talking about but really continued to argue about the same things, over and over again, and over, again. He could feel his eye lids getting heavier and heavier as they continued to argue.

He went through this every two weeks, it was so old. They would always come to him asking for advice and approval on how to destroy the other side. He looked around to see them still arguing and glancing at him for consent, it was like he was the grand jury or something. Or like the babysitter, that one fit better. 'He stole my toy', 'Well he kicked me', 'He ate my candy', 'Did not', 'Did too'

Would it never end?

Suddenly a memory of Tea came racing back, to the front of his mind.

_He was walking around the corner heading back from a meeting, he had just settled a million dollar deal just a few minutes ago, nothing was going to bring him down, only he was forced to stop in his tracks at the sight of the mutt and Tristan rolling around on the ground trying to kill each other while Tea sat on the nearest bench a couple of feet away from him, reading a magazine._

_He walked up behind her. "I personally don't mind this, but, you're not the type to let them duke it out like this."_

_Tea was apparently having a good day too, considering she hadn't started a fight with him, though, it usually was him who started it. Tea looked up from her Magazine which had his face on the cover along side him a tall blonde with way to much make-up in his opinion. "Why would you say that?"_

"_What the hell are you reading?" He snatched the magazine from her hands, while reading the cover story. "Do they actually think I'm going out with that bimbo? Don't tell me you're reading this crap?"_

"_Of course I am, how else am I supposed to spread nasty rumors about you?"_

"_Gardner!"  
_

"_Relax, I actually found it on the bench and had nothing better to do, by the way, how was your honeymoon to Paris?" She grinned menacingly_

"_Did they actually print that? Where are they getting this shit?" He continued to read bits and pieces of the article, which was four pages long._

"_Personal commentaries of you new bride. Kitten I believe her name is." Seto saw the smirk on her face broaden._

"_You're enjoying this aren't you?"_

_She grabbed the magazine out of his hands and smiled again. "Immensely."_

"_Great. Now that we know you were born for the soul purpose of making my life miserable, what are they doing?"_

_She looked over the magazine and at her two friends. "Oh, they have been arguing all day, I got sick of settling it for them, it's rather tiring. Sometimes people need to solve things themselves and not have someone guiding them to the correct answers, if they have that their entire life the problems will never actually be solved."_

"_So their going to kill each other?"_

"_No, they'll knock each other out way before that happens."_

Seto looked at the groups before him, maybe Tea was right, she was rather smart, sometimes, and she did manage to keep herself above in the stock market game.

_Another memory surfaced, he was at school working on a speech for later that day when Tea walked in, ice cream cone in hand._

"_What are you doing here?"_

_He looked up from his computer. "I could say the same about you."_

"_I'm returning a book I borrowed, and you?"_

"_None of your business."_

"_Hey, I told."_

_"I wasn't aware we had an agreement."_

"_Jackass, I don't understand you sometimes, you know. And what the hell are you doing working on a Friday afternoon? You should really spend more time with Mokuba, if I had a brother like him I'd always want to be close to him."_

"_You don't own and run a business."_

"_No, but I do work and I still find time for friends, one day your going to wake up and he's going to be all grown up and you don't get a second chance when it comes to things like that Kaiba." With that she left her book on the desk and headed out of the room._

"Did you hear that Mr. Kaiba?"

Seto looked up at the man before him. "No, I didn't, I wasn't listening. Actually, how about, you solve this yourself, I have to go home and spend some time with my brother, good luck."

With that Seto grabbed his brief case and walked out of the room. He headed down the hall way and looked at the secretary. "The keys for that door are under the desk, go over and lock it, don't let them out till I call and say it's alright too."

Just as Tea had previously walked out the class room door, so did he, towards his younger brother who was currently being watched by Mai. He had asked for her to come over for company, knowing Mai was by far Tea's best friend.

He slid into his black limo. "Home, I'm going to spend some time at home today."

The driver gave a shocked face, knowing this never happened, but turned on the car and drove towards the Kaiba mansion.

* * *

Seto stepped inside his very large house, it seemed dark and depressing, then again it always did, though his ears perked up when he heard the sound of laughter radiating through the mansion. Walking into the room where he had previously met Cassandra and Angelica he saw Mokuba and Mai watching another homemade film. "What are you guys doing?"

Mokuba immediately turned around and looked at his brother. With wide eyes he jumped over the back of the couch and landed in his brother's surprised arms, out of the corner of his eyes he saw Mai frantically trying to turn off the TV.

Seto placed his younger brother down but Mokuba continued to talk. "What are you doing home so early Seto?"

"I didn't feel like being at work."

"Why?"

Seto looked down at his brother. "You're getting taller."

"Really? Do you think I'll be as tall as you some day?"

"Maybe if you eat your greens."

"Seto! That's not funny."

"Yes it was, now what are you two doing?"

"Watching some more videos of T-"

"Nothing much, you know kids these days, they'll watch anything." Mai immediately cut Mokuba off then walked over and discretely covered his mouth when he tried to correct her.

Seto, enjoying her obvious, fear decided to have some fun and pressed the turn on button for the large TV. Tea's face immediately was on it, then the camera moved slowly and then focused on him. He raised his eye brow.

Mai's face went slightly pale as she grabbed the remote from his hands but he moved his arm up and out of her reach. "See Kaiba, nothing important." she lunged again

"_Hell, is that Kaiba?" came Devlin Dukes voice from the screen. _

Seto smirked, "What exactly is this Valentine?"

"Well, I kind of had some videos of Tea and decided to bring one over for the kid, that's all; we can turn it off now."

"No, I think we're going to watch this."

"No, you _really_ don't want to."

"No, I _really_ do."

He went over and sat on the large couch with Mokuba closely behind his, deep in thought about what could be on the screen that would freak Mai out, that was hard to do, unless they had done something to his brother that they don't want him to find out about, but they wouldn't do that, would they?

Mai sat down on the far end of the couch and watched the screen.

"_Hey it is." spoke Tea, she took a few steps closer._

"_What are you doing girl?" whispered Mai in a frantic state_

"_Relax, I'm just getting a closer look."_

_Duke's voice came on, for he was holding the camera. "But we don't have any garlic."_

_Mai turned to the camera. "Kaiba is not a vampire Duke, you are such an imbecile, he's a demon." she turned around as if it would prove her point and she had won._

Seto turned towards a red faced Mai who was currently refusing to look at anything other from the screen, mainly him. He surpassed a smirk as her face became redder the longer he looked at her, who knew Mai could be embarrassed?

"_Whose to say he's not a vampire?" argued Duke_

"_Hello, he's sitting on a park bench in the middle of the day, they go poof in the sun remember?"_

"_He could have some sort of magic talisman or something, besides, I hardly doubt a demon would take the time out of his pillaging to run a multibillion dollar corporation."_

"_You don't know that, he does have minions you know."_

Suddenly the screen went blurry and Seto looked over to see Mai holding the fast forward button on the remote, still red. "No need to see this."

"Really? But I was enjoying it." smirked Seto, he looked back over at the screen to still see Mai and the camera arguing about his lineage. He looked back over at her as she continued to fast forward.

Mokuba looked at her. "Why are you fast forwarding so long?"

She turned another shade of red then suddenly gained her confidence back and looked at Mokuba. "It was an in-depth conversation, Duke had a few argument able cases."

Seto was really trying not to laugh, he really was. "Argument able cases? About whether I'm a vampire or not?"

"Shut up." He watched as she turned red again

Mai finally released the button and sat down on the couch, curling up in her corner of denial.

"_Oh my god, Kaiba's sleeping!" whispered Tea as she ran back over to the two bickering friends_

"_Kaiba's sleeping? I didn't know Kaiba slept."_

_Tea threw a rock at Duke, "Of course Kaiba sleeps, he is human you know."_

_Mai looked at the camera skeptically, but stopped as she saw Tea heading back towards the formerly mentioned CEO. "Tea, what are you doing girl."_

"_I'm getting him back for the bathroom incident this morning." She stepped over a few branches and headed over towards the sleeping Kaiba. _

"_What bathroom incident?" asked Duke_

_Tea paused, "Well, Kaiba, don't ask me the hell how, but, he got a hold of my phone number and well, kind of paid a guy to write it on the bathroom mirror along with the words, 'call me if your hot- Tea Gardner'."_

_Duke started laughing. "Oh god that's brilliant, how did he think of that? I should ask him how he does it-ow, what the hell was that for?"_

_Tea had lodged her shoe at him, "It's not brilliant it was awful, here me? Awful, do you know how many phone calls I've gotten today? Most of the conversations starting with, "Hey, my ex-girlfriend says I'm hot."_

"_That man is a genius." Another shoe went flying at him. "Would you stop that?"_

"_Would you?" She walked over and picked up her two shoes, slipping them on her feet. "Now be quite, Mokuba says he's a real light sleeper."_

_Tea silently walked over the bench which he was sleeping at. Seto was in an upright position with his brief case in his lap. Tea walked over and stepped up onto the bench in her black heals and purple dress which flowed around her body until it reached her knees, and her purple parasail hat on her head decorating her newly curled hair.._

_She reached over towards the brief case and leaned over Kaiba to pull out a cell phone. She immediately froze as he stretched his arms, almost knocking her over in the process, Tea was forced to jump up onto the back of the bench, now with approximately an inch and a half of room instead of a full seat._

_After pressing a few numbers and smiling the whole time she carefully dropped the phone back into the black brief case and turned to smile at her friends. The picture itself was rather beautiful. There Kaiba sat in the middle of fall, colors and all, with a large beautifully decorated fountain behind him, in fact if it wasn't for the brunet standing over him grinning like a mad woman he would have actually appreciated natured beauty._

_That was when Seto woke up. It wasn't good, for Tea anyways. Kaiba stretched his arms, managing to throw Tea off balance, strait into the park fountain behind them. Kaiba immediately turned around to see Tea looking at him like he was Satan reincarnate himself. He smirked._

_She stood up, freezing from the cold water with dead leaves hanging from her clothes and hair. She quietly stepped out of the fountain and started to walk over to her friends._

"_Gardner." she stopped, cringed, and looked over at Kaiba._

"_You forgot something." He grabbed his brief case and the large purple hat dripping with water. He smirked and placed it on her head in doing so causing a waterfall of water to soak her once again. _

_Tea re-turned towards Mai and Duke, who were not holding in their laughter very well, while she remained silent, not wanting to make the situation worse by talking or looking back at Kaiba's smirking outline. "Not a word." she looked at her friends. "Not a word."_

_The screen went blank._

Mokuba started to laugh uncontrollably while his brother on the other hand stared at Mai menacingly. "That was you three?"

"Sort of, but technically it was Tea."

"You three were the ones who forwarded my phone number to every girl in Domino."

"Technically that was-"

"That was you three?" He couldn't believe that had been Tea, doesn't matter if he deserved it or not, she was going to get it.

"Seto, that was so funny, I got to say, you and Tea make me laugh."

Seto turned around to see his brother laughing, it had been so long since he had laughed, since…Tea. Mokuba barely even smiled anymore, alright; he'd kill Tea, but, he'd do it later.

* * *

Firevixen73- Hey every one, hoped you liked, I mean no disrespect by the whole short bus thing, I used to stay after school and help a girl who couldn't walk or talk properly, with her exercises and she was the nicest person I ever met, always giving me handmade gifts. Like on time she made me a picture of a flower with crayons and she was so proud of herself, it made me proud to see her so proud! So, I hope everyone like this chapter, if you have any comments just ask and I'll say what I can. I know the fight scene was long but I found it necessary for the dramatic effect. I've never written a fight scene so I hope it went well. Please review! I have the best readers!


	11. I don't know why I thought that

Firevixen73-Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter, they made me so happy, when I click on my mail box and I have a munch of letters from I smile, really big. So I hope everyone likes this chapter!

* * *

Tea smiled as Mekubo babied her. It had been a while since anyone had, it was rather nice knowing that people loved you and wanted to make sure that you would always be around. 

"Step by step Anzu, we don't want you to stress your body out." he said carefully as he 'attempted' to help her over to her bed.

"If anything would have stressed me out Mekubo it would have been that monster of a hug you gave me." she said while stifling a laugh

"I didn't hurt you did I? Are your wounds re-opened? We should call someone in to check them. The whole place is going to be crazy with excitement when they hear you're awake." he turned his head towards the door while still trying to help Tea to the bed. "Hello!"

Suddenly a short girl with brown hair came bouncing into the room, ready to serve Mekubo. Her small five year old eyes widened at the sight of Anzu, the girls mouth dropped.

"Do you think we could get some bandages in here? Maybe my brother can help put them on, or Yami, if they are anywhere close." Mekubo looked at the girl expectantly who was in turn still staring at Anzu, mouth still dropped.

Tea giggled and walked over to the girl, wincing from the slight pain of walking and then leaning down, she became eye level with the girl. "Could you please also ask the kitchen for some food? I'm starving."

The girl nodded, still shocked that she had met the Anzu, the Anzu! She had just been walking by, looking for her mother when bam, her wildest dreams came true.

"Thank you; you are a very sweet little girl." Tea bent over and patted the girl on the head affectionately.

Still dazed the five year old started walking backwards towards the door, not wanting to take her eyes off her idol. Bumping into only a few objects she rounded the corner to find the nearest living creature to help fulfill Mekubo's request.

Tea slowly stood up and looked at Mekubo who was frowning at her. "What?"

"Why are you so defiant, you shouldn't have crouched down your wounds might be worse now."

"Oh well."

"Anzu!"

"What? So I'm defiant, you know that's why you love me, besides, who else would give your brother hell?"

"Anzu!" He marched over towards her trying to be serious, trying to be forceful, trying not to laugh, notice the word trying, it wasn't working very well. They both broke out into laughter until he suddenly slipped on a bed sheet, taking everything down with him.

Tea instinctively grabbed for his hand, trying to prevent the fall but only resulted in being brought down with him, along with the sheets, the banister cover, the pillows and half of her wardrobe which happed to be out on her dresser.

Tea immediately started to laugh, her joy overriding the pain coursing through her body. She could hear Mekubo's as well, it wasn't until she opened her eyes and saw double that she realized this might not have been for the best. Though, seeing double only made her laugh harder.

Shaking, Tea stood up and glanced around the room, pulling off clothes draped on her head. Her and Mekubo looked at each other and started to laugh even harder. It was about that time Mekubo heard footsteps, and lot's of them.

He turned to face the door to see his brother step into the room in disbelief, Yami, Tori and Jyo right behind him.

Tea turned to face the creatures who had drawn Mekubo's attention away from all the fun they were having. When she did she immediately stopped laughing as her face went pale, without hesitation she screamed with enough terror to send the dead into hiding all the while with her falling hard onto the floor.

Mekubo was immediately at her side. "What's wrong Anzu? Is everything ok? Is it your back?"

Tea blinked a few times, her eyes still wide with horror, and stared in front of her, trying to get the image of what she just saw out of her head. "Oh God that was scary, there was two of him."

Jyo automatically started to laugh, knowing who she was staring at, the one and only Seth.

Yami smiled. "Ya, she's better."

Tori joined in. "Nothing wrong there."

Seth growled. "Not funny Anzu."

Tea's face remained horror stricken. "I wasn't kidding; there were two of you, scared the living crap out of me." Tea wasn't kidding, the fear radiating through her eyes proved that, this was undoubtedly going to scar her for life.

Seth rolled his eyes and pulled Tea up from the floor, knowing she must be in pain. That wound was deep, she had already been out for two days. Finally managing to get her on her own two feet, while reassuring her that there was only one of him and there always would be, she let him help her to her bed.

Grabbing her waist Seth steadied her while Tori brought in some new bandages. Jyo walked out of the room to grab a basin of water and a sponge to clean off the blood while Yami fluffed her pillows so she wouldn't have her back up against the cold hard stone.

As he set her down Seth saw Mekubo out of the corner of his eye…smiling. That was never very good, at least that type of smile. "What are you planning?"

Mekubo's face dropped. "Why would I be planning anything big brother?"

He turned to face Mekubo. "Lot's of reasons, you're friends with miss delusional crazy psycho woman, you're giving off that smile and you knew I was talking to you."

Tea piped in. "I resent that first remark."

Yami too looked at Mekubo, he was smiling weird. Seth gave off that same smile right before he did something to Anzu.

"Nothing, actually I'm going to see King Broek and Queen Asmara now, maybe Lord Darus as well, I'm sure they'll want to hear about Anzu waking up." With that said he skipped out of the room

"It's moments like this that he scares me." said Tea quietly, sometimes he was just to much like his brother

Yami glanced around the room. "I'm going to see what's he's planning." Yami headed for the door and then turned around, realizing what he was doing. "Can I trust you two not to kill each other?"

Tea looked at Seth while he looked at her. Tea sighed. "I guess if it's the only way to figure out what he's planning, I'll stand him."

"I can put up with her mouth for a few minutes."

Tea's eyes narrowed. "You did so totally not just say that."

He looked at her just as determined. "I think I just did."

"Why you-" but she was cut off before she could say anything else

"Can I trust you two to not kill each other?" asked Yami one more time

Tea huffed. "Whatever."

Seth stared at the wall. "Sure, I'll try."

Yami quickly turned around and headed out the door, but not before giving one last glance back in there direction, wondering what would be more destructive towards Egypt, the Guardian brothers or Anzu and Seth alone in the same room.

* * *

Tea was looking all around Anzu's room. The dresser which Tori had properly reassembled, her balcony, which she missed already, her vanity, decorated in all it's glory, her clothes, perfect as they were, and…namely everything but Seth. Hey, if she didn't see him she wouldn't try to tell him off, right? 

She continued to glance around the room, various thoughts flowing through her head. It was about the time the question of what color the walls would be classified as that she felt a strong pressure on her waist.

Tea looked up just in time to see Seth rolling her over on her stomach. "What the heilphg?" The pillow muffled her voice.

She felt something warm placed on her back, calming her slightly, but just slightly. She turned her head to see Seth examining her back.

"What are you doing?" she asked in her opinion quite calmly

"Checking your wound, it's doing much better, from the way its healing it might not even leave a scar, which is amazing, considering."

"Ohh…what's it look like?"

"Like a slice in your back."

"Jackass, that wasn't what I meant and you know it."

"Maybe you should be more specific."

"Well excuse me for thinking you had the brain capacity to determine what I meant."

"I'm sorry, were you talking?"

Tea was about to flip over and smack Seth for being, well, him, but when she looked up she saw him grinning. Not smirking, not glaring, but actually grinning. Now, it wasn't a full fledged smile or anything but it certainly worked in cooling her down.

His smile turned into another one of his famous smirks. "Are you, blushing?"

Tea immediately turned back around and buried her face into her pillow. "No." came her muffled voice through the sheets

"Hey, where'd everyone go?"

Both she and Seth turned around to see Jyo standing in the doorway with a washing basin and sponge in one hand while a plate of bread rested in the other.

Tea looked at Jyo like he was her hero, which, considering the moment, he was. God, was she actually just blushing? Of course she wasn't, she didn't have any reason to. Then why did her face feel warm?

Tea felt the pressure on her bed shift and looked up to see Seth standing up. "They had to go, Tori had to do inventory as well."

"Oh, here's the water and some little girl said you were hungry so I got you some bread rolls. She demanded that we needed to feed her Lady Anzu…kids are body now a days." He walked over to the stand next to her bed, then started to head out the door. "I have to go help Tori, we'll talk later ok Anzu?"

"Ok Jyo." With that said Jyo walked out the door to help his friend with the tedious chore of inventory.

"Flip back over we need to clean your back." Seth sat back down next to Tea while she rolled back over.

"Fine, but you have to promise not to hurt me on purpose Seth."

She didn't hear any noise come from his direction.

"I'm not kidding Seth, I'll call Mekubo on you if you're mean to me."

"Right, like that's going to make me shutter in my robes."

"Mekubo! Oh Meku-"

Tea was immediately cut off as the sponge was shoved into her mouth with Seth's voice quickly following its abrupt arrival. "Alright, alright, I won't hurt you."

He pulled it out of her now dry mouth. Dipping it into the warm water he gently washed off any remaining blood as Tea attempted to ignore the occasional finger tip that would brush up against her back. She could feel it happening, her face was reddening, god why was she even blushing?

One of his fingers brushed against her back. She felt a tingling sensation course through her body. Damn, what the hell was going on? She dug her head deeper into her pillow.

"You know, some people call that suicide." rang Seth's voice

"What do you care?"

She felt his hands stop, the cool air once again reaching her back. Large hands wrapped themselves around her waist as she was pulled upward into a sitting position. She opened her eyes to see Seth staring at her intently. "Pass the bandages."

She wanted to hit him, hell, she wanted to chuck him off her balcony. He was suppose to bring up the time where he almost apologized, he was supposed to say something meaningful, but no, he just had to go and be his dumb ass arrogant self. Jackass! And here she was thinking maybe he did have some sort of heart inside the hallow thing called a chest! He's so…_him!_

She picked up the bandages and hurled them in his direction. Seth immediately ducked, preventing the would be concussion, and stared at the raving lunatic before him. "What the he-" but he was cut off by her screeching

"Get the hell out you insensitive jerk." Tea picked up the sponge and threw it at him

"Anzu-" he was cut off again only this time because of a sponge which was lodged at him

"Have you ever heard of the word narsistic? It means egocentric, only thinking about yourself, right next to that word is your name! Now get out before I sick Jyo on you!"

Seth dodged another attack as she threw the water basin at him, which he caught before it was shattered on the ground. Seeing she wasn't going to let up, let alone explain what the hell her deal was, he sprinted through her door and into the hallway.

Trying to catch his breath he watched as her door slammed shut, he would never understand that woman.

* * *

"Hey Anzu, is their any particular reason you pulled me out of inventory?" 

Tea bent down with some mild effort and reached down to the small pond before her, brushing her fingers among the surface, causing a rippling effect on the water. "You said you wanted to talk to me and I figured now was better than later."

"So this has nothing to do with the scattered bandages and spilled water outside our door?"

Tea managed to pull herself up without to much help from Jyo. "Nothing whatsoever."

"Fine don't tell me." Jyo crossed his arms defiantly, like a small child who wasn't getting his way. Tea tried not to smile but it was just so hard when you were watching him. No matter what time period, life, or century Joey would always be Joey. He could always make her laugh and for that she would forever treasure his friendship.

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Damit Anzu why not." he stomped his foot on the ground

"Because it's making you mad." she giggled

"Fine be difficult, but, I do have to admit, that thing about their being two Seth's was really funny."

Tea kicked a rock in his direction. "That was not funny! It scared the living daylights out of me ok? What the hell would you have done? Well I screamed; two of him is a good enough reason to scream…to me anyways. One of my worst nightmares came true in an instant, I'm allowed to freak out."

"Freak out? You went white and started to randomly screech like a coyote or something."

"I have a plausible excuse, and no, I'm still not going to tell you what happened."

"Damit, thought I could get you off track."

"I'm not Tori."

"Worth a try, so, actually what I wanted to talk to you about was Lord Darus."

"Lord Darus? I thought I heard Mokuba say something about him, but, didn't he go home?" Tea could feel her body draining, the stress of the walk making her loosing strength, so she searched the garden for a place to sit, finding a boulder she rested her tired body and looked at Jyo.

"Yes, he left but then came back with his King and Queen the day before the attack. The three actually decided to stay behind, they really wanted to meet you."

"Oh, but why are you telling me this?"

"Yami has been really busy with them and wanted to talk to you himself, but, like I said, he's been busy, so he asked me. Yami was wondering if you could talk them into a sea battle. They are rather hesitant about letting their troops being led under a monster's command."

"I see, they don't know if he is trust worthy let alone capable."

"Yes, and well, you were on friendliest terms with Lord Darus."

"Alright, I'll try, will it be Mako leading them?"

"Yes, but, we're actually using The Legendary Fisherman now."

"Trying to make him seem as powerful as possible to help sway them."

"Just a bit. And, their was one more thing, a personal one. Anzu, you're like a little sister to me and, are you…are you ok?"

Tea turned around and looked at Jyo, she could tell, his eyes radiated fear. He was scared, scared for her safety, for her life. Under his eyes sat the dark rings of sleepless nights, very similar to the ones she had seen on Tori just this morning, and his body was slumped over, as if dieing to relax. He truly was a good friend.

She walked over and placed her slim fingers on his cheek. "Don't worry about me Jyo, I'll be fine, and I'd be even better if I know you're ok. Please, I love that you worry about me, but, not at the expense that it is costing you."

He smiled and pulled her into a hug. "It's funny, you are sometimes more of a baby sister to me than my own is, and because of that I'm always going to worry, its part of being an older brother."

"Thank you Jyo, you really are a great older brother."

"And as an older brother I need to know all that goes on in your life. What happened this morning after I left?"

Tea pulled out of his hug and punched him in the arm, though, still smiling. "Nice try."

"Come on!" he whined

"Nothing happened, Seth was just being his jackass self and for some reason I thought he would be different. Well, I got a reality shock and well, he got a few bruises…hopefully."

"Why would he be any different?"

"I don't know, I guess with everything that has happened he might care just a little bit about what happens to me."

"Ya, I mean, it was you and Seth who took down Shane, I guess some sort of twisted bond could have formed, and, he did catch you when you passed out…"

"Oh my god, are you, admiring Seth? I mean, it wasn't directly but…you do! Jyo admires Seth! Call the guards, call the maids, call the townsfolk, this needs to be documented, hell, this needs to be celebrated! We're making this a national holiday!"

"If you weren't in severe pain right now, I'd tackle you. Though, I do have to admit, they way you two pulled that off was rather awesome."

"Ya, it kind of was now that I look back at it." Tea could once again feel her legs starting to give way. "Jyo, I'm really tired again, and my hands are starting to hurt, do you think we can go back inside where I can sit down, or at least find something to eat?"

Jyo smiled, "Course Anzu, actually, I think Lord Darus is in the main hall, he's been dieing to see you again, what do you say we go there?"

"So I'm going to be meeting this King Borek and Queen Asmara?"

"I guess, oh, one more thing that you should probably know, um, they kind of, for some reason, unknown to man-"

"Spit it out Jyo."

"They think you and Seth are a couple, or at least a future one." He immediately shut his eyes and cringed, waiting for the verbal attack he was about to endure. He waited, and waited, nothing happened, no screaming, yelling, punching? He opened his eyes and looked at Tea's frozen form. "Um, Anzu?"

Her eyes were wide open in shock and her skin pale.

"Anzu, um, you ok?"

He watched her tilt her head to the side and blink a few dozen times. "They…they think what?"

"Um, that you're a lovely human being who should be as far from Seth as possible."

"Why would they think such a…a…_disturbing_ thing?" She was obviously in her own world, not even noticing Jyo was standing there, let alone talking.

"Because they're disturbing people, now come on, let's get you some food." He grabbed her hand and continued to lead her inside where she could digest this new information.

"But, but why would people have such horrible thoughts? I'm a relatively good person, aren't I?"

Tea's completion had yet to regain its normal vibrant color as she continued to mumble nothings to herself. She grabbed Jyo's collar, "Why Jyo, why?"

* * *

Seto sat in the small, yet still over crowded room which Tea's form resided in. No, it wasn't over crowded with visitors, or pets, or doctors or loud children, instead it was filled with flowers and candy, not to mention millions of get well cards as well. He thought the flowers would die off, but no, when one bouquet would two more would take its place. Even some of the local patients were stopping by, mumbling something about how she had volunteered here many times. 

Seto was just so confused with what to do with all this new found information. He thought he knew the preppy cheerleader lying in front of him motionless, he thought he had her pinned like every other person he knew in the world, but, she continued to baffle him, to no end. Her life was like this endless supply of flowers, one mystery solved only to reveal two more.

He had so many questions, questions that he knew possibly only she could answer. There had been no improvement on her part either, it had been a little over two weeks and nothing had changed, just the chaotic ness of his life.

He watched as his brother sat next to Tea's form, he didn't want to bring Mokuba here, he would always get so depressed when they had to leave but Mokuba had insisted.

"Oh, and my teacher has been really mean lately, she's giving us so much homework and tests all the time! Just yesterday I was passing a note to one of my friends, which is no reason to get in trouble, and she sent me to the principles office. I did just what you told me to if that ever happened and was real sweet and then talked him out of calling big bro, it was really cool, now I know why big brother goes to work all the time, so he can do that. It was kind of like that time that cop pulled you over and wouldn't let you go till you gave him your number and instead you gave him the state lawyers for child molesters, that was really funny. That would have been so cool to see his face…"

Seto smiled as he listened to Mokuba, that kid really did love Tea. Every time he could manage a trip here all Mokuba would do is sit down and tell her about his last couple of days, and he meant everything, if Mokuba stepped on a piece of gum, Tea now knew about it.

As much as he absolutely hated to admit it, Tea's life had him hooked. But, it wasn't just her life; it was how she continued to live. Of all the sufferings she had been through she still tried to befriend everyone she met. He just couldn't understand it, hadn't she learned that people will stab you in the back at the first chance they get? That you have no one you can trust except yourself?

"Oh, Tea!"

Seto and Mokuba both turned around at the same time at the sound of the hysterical woman's voice. She was about 5'7 with shoulder length hair which was curled. She seemed to be in her mid fifties and wore a light pink business suite. In her four inch high Gucci heals she ran over and flung herself onto Tea's bed, Mokuba immediately jumped out of the way.

Seto was stunned, no, he was shocked, no, he was utterly floored. What the hell was she doing here? This woman was the billion heir wife to the owner of Mikado Corp. What the hell was she doing here? He'd been trying to set up a business meeting with them for over a year now but they were always busy. Did he mention, what the hell was she doing here?

Mokuba looked up at Seto from the spotless hard floor, just as baffled as his older brother and obviously wanting an explanation.

The woman continued to cry hysterically over Tea's dormant form, her blonde highlights flowing out over Tea's chest. Tears were pouring from her eyes as she continued to talk to the sleeping girl. "Oh, Tea, what happened? I knew we should have taken you on that cruise with us but no, my stupid husband had to agree with you. He just couldn't be his normal obnoxious self and argue!"

"Get off the bed Rose." came a stern voice from behind the two still extremely baffled brothers.

The woman turned around, red eyed, and faced her opponent. He was somewhat stocky, reaching a five foot ten height with his brown hair starting to thin. He wore a very expensive business suit and bifocals, he seemed to be in his late fifties.

"Get off the bed? This is all your fault, why didn't you argue with her?" she snuffled the last part

"Why did you buy those hideous bed sheets?" he asked blankly

"What? You said you like those bed sheets!"

"Well you had kind of already bought them." He walked over to a side table and placed a brief case on a slightly open space, only having to move two flower vases.

"Don't try to get me off subject mister, why did you not argue with her? Maybe we could have taken her somewhere where this wouldn't have happened." she sat down at the foot of Tea's bed, her pink clashing with the pastel blue of the sheets.

"Because Tea loves to learn, you know that, and if she would have gone on that trip she would have missed over a month of school, the timing was inconvenient, and besides, if I thought arguing would have done any good I would have argued." he looked down at the floor, where Mokuba currently was residing, mouth still open. "Boy, can I help you with something? And, why are you on the floor?"

"I…um…I…" me mumbled, still not believing who was in front of him

"Do they not teach children how to speak in public schools anymore?" asked his wife

"I always knew the public school system was failing us. Boy, what-is-your-name-?" he spaced everything out carefully as if talking to someone from a different country for pronunciation.

"Um…Mokuba, sir."

"Mokuba, just for future reference, what school do you go to?"

"Um, Domino Elementary Academy."

Rose, the mans wife walked up. "Honey, isn't that private?"

"Great, public and private, the only alternative is home schooling."

Seto finally stepped into the conversation. "Please excuse my brother, I just think he's having a hard time believing that you are here, considering. I'm Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp, and this is my little brother, Mokuba Kaiba."

The man looked Seto up and down once, and then twice, then switched to Mokuba, then back to Kaiba. "No you're not, he's taller, and has different colored hair, and doesn't do public places."

His wife walked up to him and took his bifocals off his head and placed them onto his face, where they could actually be used. "Try again honey."

The man looked the two over again. "Alright, I'll let you pass off as him, but what about the public places thing?"

Seto didn't know what to say, this man was very confusing. Mokuba luckily stepped in. "We're actually here visiting Tea sir, I happen to be really good friends with her and my big brother knows her as well, how do you know her?"

The man and woman both turned their attention to Mokuba. "Funny, she has never mentioned you two, though, we've known her for a long time. Met her in the states actually, that was a long time ago. I believe it was what, seven, eight years ago?"

"Yes," spoke his wife, "we were in what was it? Virginia? Yes, it was Virginia, when our limo broke down, we were traveling when we came across Tea, sweat girl that she is. We had already checked into our room and were coming back for the day, from this incredibly boring business meeting, and we walked in and poof, there she was, sleeping in our bed."

"Rose, she didn't go poof, people don't go poof. What my delusional wife means to say is we walked into our suite and there she was sleeping in our king sized bed like she owned the place." cut in Rose's husband, as he added in his information gruffly

Seto and Mokuba looked at each other, Mokuba continued the conversation. "She was just in there? Just like that? That can't be the end of the story."

"Well of course not my boy, " cut in Rose, "but you didn't ask that, you just asked about how we met, and that's how we met, schools these days." she shook her head in disappointment

Mokuba was extremely confused by this couple, but he pressed on. "So what happened after that?"

"Well, she woke up the instant we tried to step closer and almost attacked us too. Apparently she broke into the room because she was tired and needed a place to sleep, I don't really know what happened after that but for some reason instead of calling the cops we started talking to her, and well, I completely fell in love with the girl. She's such a sweet girl, aside from the breaking in thing, though I can't say I wouldn't have done the same." said the wife as she walked over to Tea's bed

"Why is that?" asked Seto

"Well, she was obviously a run away. She had used all the appliances: she had taken a bath, used our towels, eaten our food, slept in the bed, and every time we asked her about her family she would answer us back in the same response, 'Family is a title earned, not given'." Rose Mikado reached over and kissed Tea on the forehead, brushing her hair aside and out of the way.

"Did you say Virginia?" asked Seto, Zola had said he found her in New York, seems like Tea had done some traveling.

"Yes, now how is it you two know Tea?" asked the Mr. Mikado

Seto looked at him, "You didn't finish your story, I'm sure that's not how it finished."

The man gave a weak smile.

"She stayed for three days with us but when we came back on the fourth she was gone, no note, no nothing, needless to say I was devastated till about three weeks later when we got an letter, it was from Tea. She told us she was ok and that she appreciated how nice we had been to her, we kept in touch over the years through similar resources until she moved here to Domino. After the move we would visit regularly, at least as regularly as our schedule allowed." answered back his wife

Mokuba decided that the couple had kept their end of the bargain and it was only fair they kept theirs. "We've known Tea since she moved to Domino, big brother knew her first through school, though they weren't exactly friends. Then we continued to meet each other over life threatening duels where your souls were very often sucked out of you, eventually Tea and I formed a rather strong bond and she became somewhat of a surrogate mother/older sister to me." answered Mokuba to the previously asked question

Mr. and Mrs. Mikado both looked at each other befuddled, then Mrs. Mikado, obviously being the talker of the two, spoke. "Well, I must say, I had heard rumors of such battles but never knew if they were true. Boy, older one," she turned to her husband, "What was his name again?"

He sat down in the chair, knocking over a few boxes of chocolates, "Seto Kaiba."

She turned back to Seto, "Seto, I like that name, you being a good guard for Tea, she's just a girl you know and all of us woman, young or old, need someone to protect them. Have you been doing your job? I would prefer if Tea didn't have her soul sucked out of her. I rather like her soul, you don't find many that pure these days."

Seto just stared at the crazy woman before him, he was trying put together all that this lunatic before him had just said, he needed a moment to come up with some type of response. He was in the middle of debating who was crazier, Cassandra or Mrs. Mikado when his brother cut in. "Yes, big brother crashed a helicopter into a man who was trying to kill her." said Mokuba proudly

Mrs. Mikado continued to look at Seto square in the eyes and then finally perked up. "Alright, he passes, my what lovely children these two will have."

Seto started to immediately cough uncontrollably. As he was gasping for breath, his face turning slightly red from obvious lack of air he saw Mr. Mikado fall out of the chair, immediately standing up as if nothing had happened. The man looked directly at his wife, furious. "Tea does not have a boyfriend, nor will she ever have a boyfriend, she is too young and will forever be too young, and if a man ever did decided to court her I would tie a fox skin to his head and use him on my next hunting trip."

"Why are you so stubborn, Tea is a beautiful young woman, don't you want her to experience the same joy we have dear?" asked his wife stubbornly, hand placed on hip, the word dear sounding more like a threat than anything else.

"Now why would I put Tea through that torture? She is going to become a nun; she can find the same joy there."

"She won't have anyone to talk to, or to talk to her."

"God bless." he mumbled

"I know you did not just say what I think you said!" Mrs. Mikado's hair seemed to flow around her, immolating her anger, Mokuba ran behind his brother as he saw the woman get madder and madder at her husband. "I don't have to be all nice and generous you know, in fact, I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day."

Mr. Mikado blinked, "You mean that was all I had to say?"

Mrs. Mikado stomped her feet and marched over to her husband, she grabbed his collar and pushed him into the halls. She looked over at Seto and Mokuba, who was peaking out from behind his older brother. "You two, you two are probably in league with that husband of mine, all men are!"

Mokuba, seeing her rage filled eyes, grabbed his brother's wrist and pulled him out and into the hall. The door slammed in their faces with only a flashing blur of pink and curse words coming from the other side of the door.

Seto blinked from the floor, which his brother hand fallen onto, taking Seto down with him, and continued to look at the door. Was everyone Tea knew crazy?

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about her, she's just upset about Tea, I figured she needed to vent." Seto looked over to see the old man before him dusting off his clothes. He was thinking yes to the previously asked question.

"So, you became her outlet?" asked Mokuba, pulling him self up from the floor while remaining within eye contact with Mr. Mikado

"Yes, marriage is all about unity and trust and everything else they preach about. It's my job as a husband to help my wife, that is my main purpose as a human being, the day I said I do." answered back Mr. Mikado, "Now, I think I would like some cake from the cafeteria and will then call a few people who I know have been worrying about Tea."

Seto stood up, he couldn't let this man leave, as much as he wanted to figure out Tea's past he had been trying to cut a deal with the Mikado's since last year, this opportunity couldn't go to waist. "Wait, my brother is hungry as well, aren't you Mokuba?"

Mokuba looked at Seto skeptically, "No I'm not big brother, I just ate like two hours ag-"

Mokuba was immediately cut off by Seto, "See he is, so hungry he cant even recognize it, you wouldn't mind if we joined would you?"

"No, any friend of Tea's is someone I will force myself to stand, let's go."

Seto grabbed Mokuba's hand and tried to ignore that last comment. He was slowly learning that was what you had to do with all of Tea's family, and any of her friends. As soon as the three reached the cafeteria Mokuba ran over to the desert island while Mr. Mikado pilled on two pieces of cake and a bowl of ice cream.

Seto searched the room for a quite corner but had to settle for a table for four close to the exit. Soon his brother and Mr. Mikado joined him, Mokuba sitting next to Seto and Mr. Mikado sitting across. Seto noticed that before the billion heir before him took a bite he would just stare at it, lick his lips, stare at it again, inhale and finally take a bite, he wasn't entirely sure what to think of that.

After the man's second piece of cake Seto decided to start the conversation, but Mr. Mikado beat him to it. "Beautiful thing sugar, though, the doctors don't really think so, but hell, what do they know? Those scientists say one thing is bad for you one week and then that it will save your life the next. Well, here's I what I have to say to them," he took another bite and swallowed, "as long as you don't tell my wife what I'm eating, I really don't care what you say." He continued to stare at his next bite.

"Umm…right, I actually wanted to talk to you about work Mr. Mikado." cut in Seto

"Oh, I know, you've been trying to merge our companies for years now, ever since you took control of your step-fathers business. I know that is why you came here with me and I know that is why you continue to stay." Mr. Mikado looked up at Seto, a twinkle in his eyes.

"You see Seto Kaiba, I know all about you, everything that has ever been publicly announced. The reason I have never met with you was because I didn't know if you were your step father's protégé, I didn't want to risk that type of damage to my company." He continued to inspect his piece of cake and talking to Seto as if he was talking about the weather. "I personally never had any intention to ever meet you, though, plans change it seems."

He looked up at Seto, placing down his fork. "I can see that you are a lot like Gozuboro, you are determined to get what you want, self driven, stubborn, prideful, smart not only with business but with the world, but unlike Gozuburo you have a reign on your quest for power, it won't consume you, unlike him, as proven by Tea."

"What do you mean?" asked Seto

"Tea would never let you within ten yards of her if you were like that man, she never would have befriended your brother and she never would have asked me to meet with you."

"Tea…Tea asked you to meet with me?"

"No, my bad choice of wording, she _told_ me to meet with you. About seven months ago you were accidentally brought up, and how you had been trying to set up an appointment, the reason you hadn't said. She said, that you yes, were a stubborn jack ass when you wanted to be, but when you made a deal you would keep it, she had never known you to go back on your word. You would work hard and be fair, as long as we were fair to you."

"She said that?" asked Mokuba

"That she did, she in all honesty is the only reason I didn't sever ties with Kaiba Corp. and now that I've met you I think I'll take her word for it. I'll have my assistant call your company tomorrow morning."

"Ya…ok." said Seto, he was still utterly baffled. Not only did Tea know these people but she had been telling them to meet with him, but she hated him. Seto, still in his daze, grabbed Mokuba's dish and dumped it in the garbage, then walked over to the door where the other two remained. Suddenly the doors swung open, and in stepped Mrs. Mikado.

She calmly walked over to her husband and smiled. "I trust you had a good lunch dear?"

"Yes I did honey, best salad I've had in a while, and the tofu burgers where to die for."

"Well I'm glad to see that you are finally taking the doctors orders serious-" Her eyes narrowed down to his color as she stopped talking. She reached out and wiped her finger against his white shirt. As she pulled her hand away a piece of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting sat on her fingers. "Salad huh?"

"Umm, that was from, well I don't know give me a minute I'm sure I can think of something."

"I cannot believe this, no actually I take that back, I can. You know what the doctors say about your cholesterol, and your blood sugar! Why do you insist on doing this to your self? You know if Tea was here she'd, actually scratch that she'd probably get you another piece, but you need to stop doing this! Why, why is my husband so incompetent? Why does he insist on killing himself? Why have I been stuck with such an oaf?"

She turned on her five hundred dollar heels and grabbed her husband's ear. "We are going to get you a check up right now mister, just so you can see how horrible you really are!" Mrs. Mikado pulled her husband out the doors and over to the sign up desk, finally disappearing around the corner.

Seto watched Mr. Mikado's helpless expression as the man rounded the corner. He closed his eyes and shook his head, still grinning, letting out a small laugh. When he opened his eyes he saw Mokuba staring up at him smiling. "What?"

"Nothing big brother."

"Kid, you don't tell me and I'll make you."

"I just think that you like Tea's family more than you let on."

"What? Those loons? I wonder if the results for the CAT scan are in yet, I need to look at those readings."

"Big brother! I cannot believe you actually made me take that!"

"Hey when you say crazy things like that how do you expect me to respond?"

"Like a normal person."

"Mokuba, we're not normal people, we're Kaiba's." With that Seto ruffled Mokuba's hair and grabbed his hand, starting to head upstairs.

"Big brother, where are we going?"

"To Tea's room, you weren't done."

"Really you want to stay longer?" asked his brother expectantly

"Don't push it Mokuba, don't push it."

With that Mokuba smiled and skipped over to Tea's room, ready to finish telling her about his day.

* * *

Firevixen73- That took me forever, but I hoped you all like it. Again, if there is something any of you don't understand just ask, I'll happy to answer what I can. Thank you to all the people who reviewed, that you so much, you keep my story going and motivate me to work on it. 


	12. Standing Up

Firevixen73-Sorry again it took so long to update; school counselors can be so very stupid. They told me I had a week to finish this class I hadn't started one day and the next they say I have five days or I can't graduate, so I've been busting my ass all week, and then there is my aunts baby shower that I've been planning, it's all so hectic. Why do teachers insist on cramming everything into the last month? I swear, if I haven't learned anything yet don't expect me to now. That felt good, it's nice to rant to people you haven't actually met, you should all try it some time. Ok, here's the story.

* * *

Tea stared longingly at the deliciously sinful piece of desert before her. It just sat there, in Jyo's hands, waiting for her to devour it, with all its flaky goodness. Reaching her hand out in just the slightest motion she attempted to grab it, only to have Jyo pull away. 

"No," he said demandingly, "Yami said that we needed to keep you and Seth from fighting, no matter my personal views, because we already have a sketchy impression. You get this and two more _after_ you meet King Borek and Queen Asmara."

She slowly moved her eyes up to meet Jyo's. Pleading she puckered out her bottom lip, her eyes watering. "But-"

"No Anzu, I have my orders."

Her eyes went wider.

He flinched. "No Anzu, now stop it, you know I can't stand up to that face." She could hear his voice becoming weaker with each word, his desperation slowly seeping in.

"But, he's the one that always starts it, why should I be punished? What if he starts being him again? You don't actually expect me to just lay there like a dog and take the beatings do you? I mean, you know he's planning something because of this morning."

"Well…" he glanced out of the corner of his eye, knowing he was being reeled in but utterly helpless to do anything about it.

"Come on Jyo, I'd be defying my very existence if I were to do that and it would be all your fault…besides, I'm starving, those bread rolls were not enough," she added a bit quieter.

"Come on Anzu, you can't do this to me, you know how I love watching you stick it to Seth but…"

"I'll tell you what, you give me one roll now and I promise I'll at least try to be good."

"You'll try?"

"Promise"

Jyo glanced back down at his hand where the pastry sat, knowing who would be winning this internal battle. His responsible side was arguing that there was no way in hell this was going to end pretty but his more dominant side, the laid back one that loved a good laugh was telling him who the hell cares? This is what you love. Yup, second side was definitely winning, oh, look at that, he just did. "Fine, but when something happens, cause you know it will, I have nothing to do with this."

"Agreed," Tea smiled and snatched the desert out of his hands.

He looked at her in disbelief as she bit into his bargaining chip. "That's it? You're not even going to deny it? Not even going to say that there is a possibility that nothing will happen?"

Tea looked up from her nearly devoured treat. "Oh, I didn't realize you wanted me to lie."

"Well I do!"

"Oh, my fault, don't worry Jyo, nothing is going to happen."

"Now that's better," Jyo smiled and grabbed her arm dragging her to the door, "alright, let's go."

Her face turned back into a frown. "Already?"

"Yes, already, now let's go."

* * *

Seth sat in the throne room listening to a battle worn general from the north, representing his clan's proposal for the next battle. This was not going to work, the general was completely stubborn on his plan to use Anzu's worriers and no matter how Seth had tried to change it for the better they were getting no where. Even with moving around General Akito's idiotic ness he didn't agree with the plan he has been forced to make. Even at best, he didn't like it and that was with his changes, which Akito had so far refused to acknowledge. Over all it seemed to be a fairly good plan, devious and deceitful that it was, but they had had fairly good plans before and from past experiences he had learned that fairly good isn't good enough. They needed brilliant if they had any hope of wining this war, and now that Anzu was back in action life was going to be much easier.

Everyone knew that Anzu was the one and only reason they were all still alive, that there was even a powerful free country such as theirs to stand up to the Guardian clan. They had been terrorizing for years before Anzu even became a part of the picture. Millions were killed, the monsters were treated as nothing more than slaves, if even that. To the brothers they were entirely expendable. The idea of a fourth sibling originally terrified everyone, but the monsters had continued to search in hope of something better.

It wasn't until she was found, near her seventeenth birthday when her powers were consciously activated, that she was discovered. Ever since then the Guardian brothers had been forced into a deadlock for power.

Seth, though never out loud, would admit Anzu was a key asset in this war and without her there was no hope in surviving, let alone winning. But unfortunately what General Akito couldn't understand was how important she was. He didn't trust her monsters and refused to let his men follow their command, thus, this plan. This plan which wasn't going to work since he had the monsters working as lower class fighters, and that were only the few that were included.

How was he going to solve this one?

"Um, High Priest Seth, Lady Anzu and Lord Jyo are here to see you about the upcoming battle." Seth looked down at the messenger boy before him, he couldn't have been older than Mekubo. So Anzu and Jyo were waiting in the hall, he wasn't exactly sure what to say, those were the last two people he was in the mood to deal with right now.

"High Priest?" asked the boy once more

"Let them in, I did need to speak to Lady Anzu about a few of her monsters for the upcoming battle," he watched the General out of the corner of his eye. As soon as the boy was a few feet away, heading towards the door he turned to the stubborn king. "My apologies, Lady Anzu can be fairly hard to get a hold of, especially when she does not want to be found."

The general smiled, "No, don't be, like you said to the boy, we need her advice on the proposition of using her, monsters, as you said. This is what we were talking about was it not? Besides, there is a great deal that I have heard about her, I wish to meet this Legendry Anzu Guardian."

* * *

Tea watched as the messenger boy returned from around the corner, "High Priest Seth has agreed to see you now, but he was not with King Borek as expected but General Akito."

Tea smiled and gave the boy a pat on the head, he couldn't have been older than Mekubo. "Thank you, actually do you think you could get Mekubo for me?"

She watched as the child's face lit up as she spoke to him, he probably wasn't use to hearing thank you. "Sure, I'll get him right away mam."

Tea gave out a small giggle, "No need for formalities please, just Te-I mean Anzu. And don't worry, take your time, I'm sure he won't be the easiest person to track down. You can even grab a bite to eat as you look, just tell the cook I said it was ok."

Winking at the boy as his cheeks grew redder, she turned to face Jyo. "What?" she asked as she looked at his confused expression.

He smirked and shook his head, "One of these days you're going to have to explain to me how you do that."

"Do what?"

"Get everyone to love you."

"You're crazy Jyo." Dismissing all former conversations she looked back over at the corner which would lead her to Seth and the loudmouth general she had heard so much about. This was the same General who had been bad mouthing her while drunk, the one Harpy would have torn into pieces had there not been any type of intervention. She absently pulled on her fabric.

"Am I?"

She looked back over at Jyo, "Your right Jyo, everyone loves me, that's why Seth is proposing to me every other hour. Don't ask me how I turn him down, oh wait, I don't, we're secretly married. Actually we're renewing our vows in two day's, care to join?"

"Is there desert?"

She turned fully to face him, no longer looking at him half heartedly. Placing her hands on her hips she frowned. "You saying you _want_ Seth to be your brother-in-law? Remember the whole, you're like a sister conversation we had two hours ago?"

He scratched his head, obviously avoiding the question. It was pretty obvious, mainly by the fact that he was looking at everything aside from her, including the intricate patters of the cream colored cloth decorating one of the walls.

Tea's eye brow found itself raised in question. "Jyo?"

He looked back at her, "Are you crazy, you and Seth? That would be worse than Shane coming back. I mean really, I don't think I could stand you being with him, I'd have to actually try to like him and you probably would never let me beat him up any more."

She giggled, "That's it, because you always get so far with that."

"Hey, I almost got him yesterday, if only he hadn't of moved and then flipped me over into the pig pen I would have been solid in my rebound," he answered defensively.

"You keep telling yourself that Jyo, you keep telling yourself that." Holding back her laughter she grabbed Jyo's arm and pulled him around the corner, attempting to ease the transition into the room. She needed something to keep her bright and cheery. Jyo had already briefed her about Akito's very narrow view about the transformed members of the Guardian clan and she was hoping to god Seth wouldn't piss her off in front of him.

* * *

Seth turned around when he heard footsteps. Turning his back to general Akito he found himself looking at a flushed looking Jyo and a giggling Anzu. So much for the dignified appearance he was looking for. Was he cursed, sometimes he could swear up and down that he was.

Anzu was the first to look up. "It is an honor to meet you general Akito,"

Seth watched silently as Akito smiled, nodding in response, lifting her hand to his lips he kissed it softly. "The pleasure is all mine my Lady, Lord Jyo."

Jyo nodded in recognition as well, eyeing the general.

"Lady Anzu, I'm glad you are here, I wished to discuss one of the battle strategies we are planning, I would like your advice about some of your soldiers," asked Seth.

"Yes?"

"We were planning a sea attack and decided The Legendary Fisherman would be the best for command."

He watched Anzu's eyebrow lift. "I will talk to him about it, but before I do I would like a briefing on the battle and a full fledged copy of the plan. If he does happen to agree I am sure he would appreciate some of his fellow companions there with him in the fight, just as any soldier would."

General Akito looked at the High Priest and then back at Lady Anzu. "We would only need a couple dozen, they would attack the opposing side while my troops gathered around the back, killing them off. But I do have a confession, I am sorry Lady Anzu, but I am not sure if I feel comfortable with these monsters working with my troops. It doesn't feel natural to have something so powerful and useful free to reign, I wish ultimate control."

Seth resisted the urge to slap himself, that was by far, a very bad thing to say. He watched as Anzu's eye's narrowed slightly.

"My _monsters_? I'm sorry to hear that, but coincidentally your views have nothing to do with our situation seeing as the Guardian clan only takes orders from me."

Seth wasn't sure why but he found himself slightly excited and relieved as Anzu told off general Akito. Maybe it was the fact that her fury was directed at someone other than himself.

"Well yes, of course, you would give them orders to follow my men my Lady."

"No, if my soldiers are to fight they will be leading the battle general, your men would not last against my brother's attacks. I refuse to allow _my family_ to be slaughtered because of a foolish mistake and blinding pride."

The general's voice rose, becoming slightly deeper. "Either your monsters fight under my rule or they do not fight at all."

"Then they do not fight at all general Akito."

Suddenly Mekubo walked into the room the small messenger boy behind him. Sensing the tension he looked over at the brown haired woman, "Umm, I was told you wanted to see me? Anzu?"

Her head turned slightly in Mekubo's direction. "Yes, I was planning on going for a ride and was wondering if you cared to join me."

"Really? Ya, ok, I don't have anything really important to do," he said, obviously excided about today.

"Good, I was hoping to pick up Gem along the way, maybe this little messenger boy would like to join us?" Finally turning her attention fully in Mekubo's direction and off of the seething general who she had totally just brushed off, she looked and smiled.

The boy was obviously speechless. "I…um…"

She smiled again, "Is that a yes?"

"…Yes mam, it is, I'd love to go with you, but, I don't know if I'm allowed."

"Oh, well I'm sure we can talk to your supervisor…what is your name?"

"Sano my lady."

"Jyo, will you please make sure Sano has someone to cover for him? I would be forever grateful."

Jyo smiled, god he was in for it when Yami found out about this day. Oh well, live in the moment. "Sure."

"Alright, lets go, maybe we can even have a picnic." Taking a few steps she grabbed Sano and Mekubo's hands eventually walking over to the doorway. Once she reached the exit she turned around, for a second Seth thought she was going to apologize to Akito, but was brought back to reality with her words. "I hope you can explain to the wives, mothers and daughters that their loved ones were killed because you refused to see my so called _monsters_ as actual human beings with actual human hearts. If you expect my help, then I expect you to get over your prejudice general. I refuse to let my family become meaningless sacrifices used only for slaughter and a pitiful distraction which will surely fail, as your plan entails. You know as well as I that that is exactly what they would become. So as I said, you want a war full of glory? How the mighty General Akito saved the world without the sacrifice of human lives? Fine, but don't expect to live through it."

Turning on her heals once again Seth watched as the graceful brown hair woman that his baby brother adored walked strait through the doorway, not once looking back or faltering in her footing. She was stubborn, prideful, commanding, overprotective and downright held no respect for authority. You know, it was moments like this that Seth found himself respecting her.

* * *

Tea sat in the field of flowers surrounding her, hoping to god she made the right choice. It's not like she wanted to see any one die or anything but she refused to let her family be used as tools like that. And that was clearly the general's plan. Her entire family would be killed off while he rode back scar less. If she was to let that happen she would be no better than Shane, or Alec. No, this was for the best. How could they properly work together unless she had his respect? No, that battle wouldn't have even been a battle, it would have become a slaughter house. Ten against ten thousand? Not likely.

"Lady Anzu?" she heard a squeaking voice ask from behind her.

Casting her thoughts aside she turned to face her newfound companion. "You know Sano, the High Priest nor none of the Lords are present, you can just call me Anzu."

His face turned crimson as he looked shamefully at the ground. "Anzu, Mekubo, Gem and I were wondering if you could tell us a story."

Tea raised her eyebrow and looked at the grinning Mekubo behind the bashful boy. The twerp. Gem was standing behind Mekubo's small frame, her smaller frame barely visible from behind. The twerpet.

"Sure, come and sit next to me you three and we'll start a story." Tea watched as all of their eyes grew wide and they each gave off their innocent little smiles. Gem immediately ran over and flung herself into Tea's lap, snuggling deeper into Tea's embrace. Patting the sides next to her Tea watched Mekubo hold back a laugh and sit next to her, though, seemed a little put out that he wasn't the one in her lap receiving all her attention.

Next was Sano, the cute little boy she had met just hours ago. He was shy, at least around her, and Tea knew he would need some coaxing. Patting the ground next to her again he walked over and finally sat down. His body remained slightly stiff as she put her arm around him, but she slowly felt his body relax with each passing second.

He must have lost someone in the war, it would explain his outer shell to keep people at a safe distance. Probably took this job to help out his family. It was so sad, for a child so young to already have that callousness surrounding his heart. Maybe she could help crack it open a bit. It's one thing to be cautious and another to be entirely shut off.

"Alright, what do we want the story to be about?"

Gem clapped her hands together and smiled, "A princess!"

Mekubo stuck out his tongue like he had eaten something sour, Sano did the same thing. Gem frowned and placed her hands on her waste. "You two just can't appreciate the beauty of love like us women can."

"Action!" both boys yelled as they looked at Tea. She smiled, why did she even ask?

* * *

Tea sat in her room, staring out the balcony. There they went, General Akito's soldiers were lining up outside. She looked down the line up to see a band of about 900 men huddled together. Those were them, the men that would be the distraction for the remaining soldiers.

The general really was despicable; this plan wasn't going to work. In fact, if Tea had to make any guess it would be that none of his soldiers would make it out alive. They were going up against Alec, he wasn't an idiot. She had learned that through the demons he sent to taunt her.

Why couldn't he just listen to her? You know, Akito probably didn't even see her as human, just as another pawn in his quest for power and glory. But…she felt absolutely horrible for these men before her. But there was nothing she could do and she knew it, even if she did sacrifice members of her family like he wanted the plan would break through. There was no way this would work, maybe against Shane it would have, he would be cocky enough, but, not Alec.

"Anzu?"

Turing she saw Yami standing in front of her, eye's hard. "We need you in the throne room, to make a blessing like you usually do."

She looked defiantly at him, not believing the words coming out of his mouth. Was this what he was like while Anzu had been in her room? "I refuse to bless an action I do not approve."

She turned head back in the direction of the balcony, watching the army before her gathering up their supplies.

"Pharaoh Yami."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a man enter, and Yami turn the face him. She had never seen him before and his clothes were something not designed in Egypt.

"One moment." He turned back towards Tea, "Do not do this Anzu, we need your blessing, do not make me order you to do this."

His voice was hard, Tea did not like that. Turning to look at him fully, her eyes snapped open, revealing her indescribable strong will and pure anger all in one. "I refuse to bless something so primitive Yami, this is not going to be a battle but a slaughter house."

"They are not using your monsters,"

Once again Tea couldn't believe her ears. No, she couldn't get hung up on details at the moment, she wasn't going to argue on behalf of her family; this was not the time for that particular fight. She would let it slide, for now, but there was no way she was going to forget that little statement. "I don't care, whether they are members of my family of not, I refuse to send thousands into a bloodshed just for glory."

Tea could feel the anger in her body taking over. "This is stupid! Those are human beings out there Yami, human beings, with families and lives! And you are just going to throw that all away like garbage? Why are you even listening to that bastard anyways?"

She could feel her power flowing threw her veins, pulsing inside her very core. She could feel the wind around her picking up speed, circling around her.

"Well hear me Yami; the only way you are getting my _blessing_ is if you call this all off!"

With that she reached her max, she wanted them out. She wanted them out right now. With that Tea watched murderously as the two, Yami and the stranger were both lifted off the ground by the overwhelming force of nature. The wind blasted through the room, through her balcony, in from the halls, as its force lifted the two off the ground. She knew what she was doing, she was controlling the wind. Raising her hand to eye level she threw out her hand palm open, knowing the wind would do as she wished. So, as if her hand were attached to the intricate workings of nature she hurled them down the hall with a thrust, the wind listening to her body and minds command.

She didn't care. She didn't care that she might have seriously hurt them. She didn't care that her anger had called forth the wind in order to get them out of her sight. She didn't care that Yami's millennium puzzle started to glow, attempting to fight her. She didn't care that they might have been thrown threw a wall. No, Yami deserved it. And if that man was with him then he probably did to.

She wasn't going to have any part in this battle, the war yes, but not this fight. Let them discover what happens when you loose sight of what you are truly fighting for. But let it be known, this was not going to be placed on her head.

* * *

Mokuba sat on his bed looking at the various pictures scattered through out his room. Tea had always been big on capturing the moment. Turns out there are a lot of moments to capture and now he was thankful that she had always pressed the issue of pictures and video cameras. He knew he probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed if it wasn't for all, what he thought at the time, her weird hobbies.

Looking over he saw a roll of where Tea had taken him to the carnival. They ate about seven hot dogs and stupidly went on the tea cups right after that. He must have spent the rest of the night throwing up. He still remembered leaning over the trash can and Tea patting his back soothingly while laughing. She had kept on saying something like _"Don't worry, it's tradition to throw up on your first time to a carnival, after this it's no longer mandatory."_

Laughing at the memory he immediately grabbed the pictures and placed them in the photo album. The one Tea had bought for him a few months back. Laughing harder he continued to place them in, just like Tea had taught him to.

* * *

Seto watched through the cracked open door a miserable boy reach a split second of happiness. He never saw Mokuba smile, at least nothing like how he used to. Sighing, he let go of the handle and stepped back a few feet. He was originally heading in to tell Mokuba it was time for bed but he didn't have the heart to stop this. No, he would give him a few more minutes.

Leaning back against the wall he started to think. Originally it had killed him to know that Tea, little miss friendship of all people, who loved to torment him, was the one who could make his brother happy, but now, now it was different. He didn't care who could make Mokuba happy, hell, it could be Yugi, or Joey for all her cared, and all that would matter would be that Mokuba had that same smile on his face that he did now, as innocently he sat, looking through old photographs.

Seto had never actually been very big on the whole picture thing, but now, looking at them he saw how important they were. He had always thought they were created so you could remember what happened that day, but the look on Mokuba's face told him something else, something different. Pictures were yes meant to tell about the events of that day but to also remind you of the feelings and emotions you had. To tell you everything your picture perfect memory could not describe.

Maybe he should go in and talk to Mokuba. Maybe he could help cheer him up, it's probably what Tea would have done and obviously Tea is what his kid brother was needing right now.

Breaking his statue stance against the wall he stood up and reached out again for Mokuba's door. Pushing it open he watched as Mokuba turned his head to look at him. "Time for bed?"

Seto smiled, he smiled the rare smile he reserved specially for Mokuba. "Just kind of, but I guess if you think you can handle it you can stay up a bit longer."

"Really?"

"You know, you are the only person I repeat myself to."

Mokuba smiled, "Alright, but I'm pretty tired…do you think you can help me put these away?"

Seto gave off a small chuckle and walked over to Mokuba's horrifying mess of a bed, sometimes he and Mokuba were polar opposites. "I guess since you're too lazy to do it yourself."

He reached out and grabbed a picture, discretely dodging one of Mokuba's pounces. He heard Mokuba thump as he hit the floor and a grumbling noises followed soon after. It was a game they had been playing since the orphanage; one Seto found himself cherishing everyday. Though, he hadn't had time in a while…maybe Gardner was right, maybe he should spend more time with his brother.

Oh hell? Where did that come from? Gardner? Right? Something was definitely off, he'd never say that, no matter how sick he was, or how true it happened to be. This was him, he would deny it to the bitter end. So why did he just think that?

Seto grumbled and ran his fingers through his hair, not believing the conversation he was currently having with himself. Why, why did she insist on tormenting him? Even when she wasn't there to physically torment him. Was this ever going to stop? God, he hadn't gotten a break since the day they first met.

Suddenly he felt a weight on his shoulders as he was quickly pulled down. Landing face first on the floor, a weight on his back holding him down, he turned his head to see Mokuba looking triumphantly at him. The angels themselves couldn't have knocked him from his perch of glory at that moment.

"Cheater," smirked Seto

"Winner," grinned Mokuba

Seto arched his back and smiled as he watched Mokuba's smile twist into disbelieving shock. Mokuba was thrown off Seto and onto the floor, face first while Seto had flipped himself back up on his two feet and stared at him, "Sure about that?"

Mokuba immediately sprung up on his own two feet, "Hey, that's not fair, I had you! You were beat!"

"Oh Mokuba, you should know by now, I'm _never_ beaten."

Mokuba huffed and charged again, but this time Seto was ready, and not day dreaming about a preppy little cheerleader. Wait? He wasn't day dreaming, where were all these thoughts coming from? Almost being caught off guard again, he snatched up Mokuba mid run and hosted him up onto his shoulders.

"Seto!" yelled Mokuba, trying to act mad, though thoroughly amused proven by his giggling.

"What? I got to keep you from ruining my house some how, at least now I can keep an eye on you," laughed Seto, he reached up and flipped the twelve-year-old over his head, throwing him on the bed, "but I guess you should be going to bed now, besides, you're getting a bit to big for that now."

Still laughing Mokuba rolled over on his stomach and looked back up at his older brother whom he adored. "Awe, do I have to? Put me back up on your shoulders, please?"

"How about not, besides, it's late and you're obviously tired." Pushing the pictures to the far side of the bed he reached over and pulled the comforter down while Mokuba got on his pajamas. As he watched Mokuba head into the bathroom to brush his teeth he looked over a few of them.

Many were pictures of Mokuba and Tea. It looked like they were at a carnival or something. Why was Mokuba's head in a trash can? and why was he green? Maybe it was best not to know. It was obviously a nice day and it looked like they were having fun. But her outfit, it looked familiar. Just looking at it brought back a few memories, one in particular.

_Seto sat on a bench doing absolutely nothing. All around him were children, yelling, screaming, terrorizing and over all, being kids…he wanted to shoot himself. Why was he cursed like this? No, the owner of this company just had to have a niece who just had to come to this carnival, and of course, being him, he had to have this merger and agreed to meet the man here._

_Why him? _

_Though, he couldn't help but think that Mokuba would love this place, to bad he was so busy with work; he could have ordered one of the maids or drivers to take him here. Well, to late now._

_Suddenly his cell phone went off, he recognized the number as the one belonging to the man he was meeting. Thank god, he was ready to drop this deal here and now if he was forced to stay much longer._

_Flipping open his personally designed cell he pressed the talk button. "Kaiba."_

"_Hello Kaiba, it's me, I'm glad you decided to come. Where are you?"_

"_I just arrived, I'm by the bleachers."_

"_We will be there in a few minutes."_

_The phone line went dead. He sighed as he shut his phone, this was so unprofessional, but at this point, he would take what he could get. This company was doing alright, but it could be doing much better under his command. Without a doubt he would double production time and product output. There would also be a high increase in demand should Kaiba Corp take over, it was well known that anything associated with his company, and especially him, doubled in value._

_Suddenly fate hit, hard. _

_A solid yet muscular and toned back matched his. He turned around, ready to tell the person off for he was already in a bad mood due to being there when he saw none other then and annoyed and almost desperate looking Tea Gardner turn and face him._

_He had obviously been the first person to realize who had collided with who, again, because although her face wasn't cheery before she saw him, it was murderous when she did. "God what are you doing here? I really don't have the time or the patience to deal with you right now. Can you just move out of my way, for once?"_

_She was desperately annoyed, and obviously in a rush to get somewhere, or away, he wasn't sure at the moment. Though, from the way her eyes shifted among the crowd he'd say away. Well, he did need some entertainment and it wasn't often he found her on edge. Maybe he'd stall a bit. "Um…no."_

"_Get out of my way," she tried to walk around him but he stepped in front of her. She tried to go the other way but he blocked that entrance too. Finally she looked up at him and panted, fidgeting again. "What the hell is your deal Kaiba? Don't tell me you want a friendship speech now of all times."_

"_I think I'd rather shoot myself."_

_She glanced around again nervously and tried to go around him once more. He blocked her. "Then what is your deal?"_

_He was about to answer when the unexpected happened, a tall, bulky, carnivore of a biker stepped into their personal dance floor. "Well, if it isn't sexy legs, you haven't been avoiding me now have you?"_

_He watched as she sighed in defeat, realizing her incapability of escaping. Without turning her body to face the leather clad 300 pound man before her, she looked around pleadingly through out the crowd._

"_Hey boys, I found little miss sexy legs, she was about to explain why she was running from us weren't you babe" he said in a deep voice._

_Soon there were three other bikers beside him. Seto watched as they each looked at Gardner like a slab of meat, while they were the hungry wolves. The lead biker's eyes rolled over Tea's body as he licked his lips._

_That was when the completely unexpected happened, Tea's body went rigid as she turned around on her heals, anger rising in her eyes. "You know, as much as I don't like being harassed, my boyfriend gets real pissed when some other man looks at me like that, but he gets furious when the bastared gets the balls to say it out loud."_

_The bickers eye brow raised, "Oh, and who is this boyfriend? I don't see any man on your arm."_

_She reached out and grabbed Seto's jacket, you know, the one he happened to be attached to. He was in complete shock when Tea pulled him forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. So shocked he couldn't talk, let alone try to straiten out what the hell she was saying._

"_He is, and if you come any closer he's going to kick your pathetic asses," she yelled._

_The man looked Seto up and down, obviously recognizing him from somewhere but not being able to place it. It's not often the famous CEO had a baffled look on his face, it tended to throw people off. Cracking his knuckles he smirked and stepped forward, obviously ready to fight the multi billion heir. _

_He watched in horror as Tea's eye's went wide in disbelief, this obviously wasn't part of her plan, her twisted plan which he still hadn't figured out. Hell, he was still too shocked to talk let alone think, he wasn't ready for that yet. Tea suddenly pushed him in front of her, placing him in the unofficial ring. It was about that time that the ability of speech came back to him, "What the hell?"_

"_Kick his ass honey!" was all she yelled, that god damit was not an answer!_

_Suddenly he saw a fist come his way and he ducked to the right, and to the left, and then jumped out of the way of an upper cut. Finally able to catch a breath he looked back over at an extremely excited girl. "Sock it to him! Knock him flat, one punch!" She really was crazy if she on any level thought he was going to fight this thug, especially for her._

"_I'm going to have fun with that bitch of yours, you know that? Right after I knock you out."_

_He dodged another hit as he watched the man tumble into a near by pile of trash cans, knocking them over. The guy put too much body thrust into is punches. Seto turned around and faced Tea with a glare, "I'm going to gut you after this."_

"_I don't know what you're talking about sweetie, now kick the nice mans ass." He watched as she practically sheewed him with her hands, smiling the whole time. Yes, he was definitely going to ruin her after this…well, what ever **this** was._

_He was getting tired of this and was about to just get up and walk away, leaving the happy go lucky cheerleader to defend for herself when the man said something he shouldn't have. "Hell, I'll slice you up so bad your own family is gonna run from you."_

_That got him mad, screw Gardner and her pathetic ways, this was now personal. Finally taking this confrontation seriously he grabbed the mans arm and punched the bastard in the face, then holding onto his arm he flipped the guy over his back and onto the concrete._

_Once the biker regained his senses, and saw Seto standing over him, he quickly got on his feet and ran out of there, heading in any direction that was away from Kaiba. The black eye, bloody nose and bruised shoulder, hip and head was enough humiliation for one day._

_While panting slightly he watched as the other three looked in disbelief, as he watched them approach, one with a chain in hand and the other with a knife, he prepared. Then unexpectedly he felt slender hands wrap themselves around him once again. He didn't look down to see who it was, he knew, and although she really was the last person he wanted to be near right now, he'd tolerate it._

"_Well, I told you not to piss him off, now just imagine what he would do if he really felt threatened."_

_He watched as the three looked nervously at each other, the one with the chain taking a few steps back._

"_Shit!" he heard the one without a knife yell, well it was about time, "Shit, shit, shit! I just realized who that guy is, that's Seto Kaiba!"_

_The one man dropped his chain and looked again in disbelief. "Fuck, he'd ruin us for sure, let's get out of here."_

_He watched as they all scurried out of sight. There was something you don't see everyday. Why did all the weird things happen around Gardner? _

"Hey Kaiba, you ok?"

"_Whatever."_

"_Hey, I was just concerned ok, I didn't think the guy would actually fight you," she walked him over to the bench, where he could relax and relieve some of the freshly built tension._

"_Then why did you volunteer me like that?"_

"_Cause it was your fault he caught up with me in the first place," she said casually. _

_It was quite as she continued to sit next to him. A few seconds went by, to say the least Seto was awed. He'd never known Gardner to stay quite this long, must have been killing her._

"_Are you sure you're ok?"_

_He sighed, "I'm fine Gardner."_

"_Good," she stood up and looked him in the eye fiercely, "cause don't touch me again or I'll call the station for harassment. And where the hell do you get off calling me your girlfriend, you know you could have denied it at any given pint in time! Seriously, you try to do a nice thing!" she threw her hands up in the air and stomped off; he just watched in disbelief, that woman could make a saint curse in confusion._

Ya, he remembered that day, and it very well could have been the very same day as this picture was taken. It was at a fair or carnival, about the same time of year, from what he could guess, and the outfit was the same. A short pair of sweat work out shorts with sneakers with slight heals and a halter top, hair tied back in a high ponytail. To this day, that incident still confused him.

"Hey bro what you looking at?"

Seto turned around to see Mokuba looking at him, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Just thinking, so you ready for bed?"

"Ya, I guess since I have to be," yawned Mokuba as he slipped into his covers. Seto was getting up when something pulled on his sleeve, he looked down to see Mokuba's hand attached. "Thanks big brother, you know, it's been so long since we did this, I really missed it," said a half asleep Mokuba.

Seth smiled, the corner of his lips turning up slightly. "Ya, me to, me to."

Watching his brother slip into the world of dreams and endless possibilities he walked out of the room. Kissing Mokuba on the forehead and turning of the lights he sighed as he headed to his own room, knowing he too needed some sleep. Changing, he headed into his bed, knowing tomorrow was going to be a long day and he better get some sleep while he can. Good thing about running a multi billion business, your body learns to go to sleep on command, no matter what the time.

Turning off his lights he slipped under his covers, once again feeling the burning chill of lonely ness as he slipped into his own wonderland. Every night he felt it and every night he fought it off, pretending it wasn't there.

Halfway through dream and reality he felt a small pressure on his bed. There was no need to get up or look. He'd had a visitor ever night for almost two weeks now. Lifting his hand lazily he felt Trisket crawl under the covers with him, making a clear purring sound. The weird cat had come every night, and Seto oddly found himself looking forward to the nightly visits where the small feline would curl into a ball on his stomach.

But for now he better get some sleep, tomorrow was a busy day, he had the Mikado merger to look over, the monthly board meeting and a meeting with Yugi after all that. He was going to need some rest. Petting Trisket one more time Seto closed his eyes, hoping Mokuba was sleeping peacefully.

* * *

Firevixen73-Nothing against bikers, I just couldn't think of anyone else. So, I promise you I'm not dead and I'm trying to work on my stories, but I'm having writers block on top of limited timing. So please, bear with my insanities. Just wanted to say thank you to all my loyal reviews who stuck with me, your undying faithfulness has been rewarded! Please review, it helps me so very, very much! 


	13. Bad Day

Firevixen73- Alright another chapter finally, so sorry about the long update, work has been hell. And I mean it, double shifts working from 10 in the morning till past midnight. So here is the next chapter, hope you all like it and please review!

* * *

Tea sat motionlessly as people worked around her. It would be any day now, any day when they would get the report from the latest battle. The latest battle which Tea had refused to be a part of, and she was glad for it. Over the past couple of days she had had many of the Guardian Clan members randomly come up to her and bow, or say thank you. Eventually Tea had been so confused she had to ask Mai, well, actually Harpy, about it. 

Harpy had just laughed hysterically at her. _"Gee, I don't know girl, maybe because unlike everyone else in this blasted world you see us as actual people. I mean, Alec, Shane, Dorin, they all treat us like dirt, worse than dirt. We all know that you care an all, but it's nice to have a reminder once and a while," _Harpy had just continued to laugh.

It was odd, Tea wasn't trying to prove a point, she was just defending her family. She had never actually had a real family to protect and it felt wonderful to have one to defend. Well, technically this was the _real_ Anzu's family, but, she was just going to disregard that little fact at the moment.

In all honesty Tea felt really embarrassed when people would come up to her. She would start blushing all over, she felt like she didn't deserve their praise. All she did was speak up for her family.

Tea looked back around the table. Together there was herself, Mekubo, who was sitting next to her, Seth, sitting across, Jyo and Tori. Mekubo had asked for a nice dinner with everyone and that was exactly what he was going to get. Yami was currently on the battle field right now, with his precious General. Tea scowled, that was ok, Yami was the last person she was wanting to talk to right now.

"What the hell was that look for Guardian?" asked a cynical High Priest.

Tea took a bite of her salad desperately wanting to ignore him. Damit she promised Mekubo a nice friendly meal and she was going to deliver on the promise, even if it meant she had to put up with his damn brother's sorry ass, "I don't know what you are talking about Seth."

"So you didn't just give me a dirty look?" he smirked as he took another bite.

Tea found herself grinding her teeth trying to keep her temper under wraps, "No, I was not giving you a dirty look," she took a quick sip of water desperately wanting to keep the comment that was bubbling in her throat to stay where it was, "I mean I can't help it that you are a conceded pig that thinks everything is about you."

She could have slapped herself, damit! Why the hell did he insist on goading her like that? Well maybe she got lucky and he hadn't heard her.

"Well maybe if I wasn't always on the receiving end of your monthly cycle moments I wouldn't be so concerned. So tell me, do your cycles ever stop?"

Oh she was going to slit his throat, just as she was about to lean over the table in order to make sure her mental threat was going to be issued, Tori interrupted her. "So, um, Tea, I heard that their was a disturbance in your room just a few days ago. In fact it was the night Yami left if I remember correctly. Though, none of the guards seem to know what happened."

Tea could have stopped breathing right then and there and she would have been the happiest accidental time traveler who found herself stuck in her past life where she was the ruler over thousands of magical beings that ever lived. But she wasn't that lucky, oh why couldn't she be that lucky?

Taking another sip of water she delicately placed her drink down, relaying no sign of discomfort. "I haven't the slightest idea of what you are talking about Tori."

Jyo's eyebrow quirked, "Really, I heard you and Yami got in a bit of a fight,"

Tea just looked at him a baffled expression decorating her face, "Must have heard wrong," beauty of being a practiced liar.

Suddenly the door swung open and a tall messenger who was bruised and bloodied all over walked halfway into the room. When there, he bowed wearily, "Permission my Lords and Lady?"

The High Priest nodded his head and the man stood back up, walking closer to them. Once he reached their table he pulled out a torn and blood tattered shirt. "I am sorry to inform that we…we lost this latest battle. The five hundred member regiment did not make it," he paused briefly, "this was all we could find from the burnt residue. The total casualty number has not been confirmed but we believe it to be somewhere around 4,000 men."

Tea could hardly look up at the man before her. This was a hard blow, 4,000 casualties? How can this be from one battle? There must have been more than one, that was the only answer, so many lost! She continued to look at the man before her, though it hurt to do so. She noticed with each passing second tears threatened to fall from his eyes and his breath became labored and uncontrolled. Even his words were staggering.

"I'm sorry," the man looked at her slightly confused and taken back. She sighed, "You lost a loved on in this fight didn't you?"

His rigid back seemed to slouch a bit and his eye's held an emotion that Tea could easily relate to, suffering. "My brother my Lady, he was in the 500 regiment."

"I am very sorry, is their anything I can do?" Tea stood up and pulled the broken man's hands into her own. They were beaten, worn, calloused and bloody. Just another thing that helped her identify with his flooding emotions.

He shook his head, "No my Lady, you have already given me and my family so much. We heard how you disagreed with the battle plan from the start. That you not only fought for your Clan, but for the human soldiers as well. That in itself is more than we could ever ask for."

"I wish I could have stopped this all together, but I am truly sorry for this. Please, head over onto the kitchens and take as much as you can carry. I know what I can give is nothing compared to what you have lost but please, it is the very least we can offer."

The messenger's eyes began to water even further. The pour soul had suffered so much on this last journey, Tea only wished she could ease the pain of all the others who had lost their family and friends. Seeing the man's weariness Tea called for a servant to help with his baggage and a soldier to help him home. This would be a long night for him, and the next couple of weeks for Egypt would be just as disastrous.

As soon as the man left the room, his sandals no longer echoing down the halls, Tea's body began to shake. Why did things like this continue? Why wouldn't it stop? So many lost, all because of greed.

Without another word to the Lords and servants in the room, Tea turned around and headed towards the kitchens, needing a long walk. Fresh air would do her some good, hopefully she could cool down by then, or quite possible want to kill something even more.

* * *

Yami stood near the table before him, he had gotten home four day's ago and had yet to hear from Anzu, or any of the other Guardian members for that matter. Suppressing a growl, he quickly sat down. General Akito soon made his own appearance, whether this was good or bad, Yami hadn't decided yet. 

This last battle had caused a major rift in the soldier's spirits not only that, but now his leadership was being questioned. Right now was not the time for this to be happening! A Guardian son had just been defeated, now was the time to act, strong and steady while there was still chaos. Now was most certainly not the time for division among the ranks.

Whatever was necessary to get the job done.

It was about that time the rest of the Lord's entered the room, High Priest Seth included. Over all, Yami was not particularly happy with the High Priest at the moment. He too had disagreed with the battle plan, Jyo and Tori as well, but one must keep face when a ruler. It was part of the job, appearances were what kept the public going, and until this was resolved, everything would remain within the castle walls.

Dinner began, and to Yami's dismay, Anzu was not there. King Borek had come; his Queen Asmara had shown up as well, but still no Anzu. Even the General's nephew Ravn was there, though Yami still wasn't sure why. War was not a time for social gatherings.

Done contemplating his guests, and their motives, Yami turned back to the conversation at hand. The tension in the room was undeniably thick, something Yami had noticed at the very beginning of the evening. He had been hoping it would lesson through dinner but that was apparently not going to be the case. Everyone knew the arguments that were sure to come if the latest battle was even hinted at, and needless to say, it was still a rather sore subject.

Damn, Anzu was still not here, why wasn't she here? She could only avoid him for so long and that period was over, Yami had made that perfectly clear when he sent an order for the woman's attendance at dinner tonight. So why wasn't she here?

"Pharaoh?" asked a curious Queen Asmara.

"Yes?" Yami redirected his attention back to the others at the table, and away from the brunet Priest he was finding himself increasingly annoyed with. Damn, they argued about everything else but this, this they had to agree on!

"Is something on your mind? You haven't spoken all dinner, desert is already being served," she spoke calmly. The way she said it, it was as if it was more of a rhetorical question for himself than anything else.

He glanced around the table one more time, wondering if he should speak, he was among comrades after all, wasn't he? "Actually I was wondering where Lady Anzu was, I haven't seen her since my return," he asked, making sure he hid his emotions, mostly frustration and anger, as much as possible.

The room became increasingly quiet; something Yami found unnerving him even more. This was not what he needed right now. He knew why the General was not speaking, which in itself was a feet, after all Anzu and him didn't exactly see eye to eye. His nephew had undoubtedly heard of her views, which gave him a reason to follow his uncle's vow of silence. King Borek, well, best not to go into that at the moment, for sanity reasons, but why were the other's refusing to speak?

Seth took a sharp intake of air, drawing the eyes of all at the table, "She was last in the kitchens, about two hours ago, that was the last I saw of her. Before that she was with Kuriboh, I don't know what for though."

Everyone looked at Seth expectantly, all aside from the General and his nephew anyways. Jyo was the first to speak, "Seth, how the hell do you know Anzu's schedule? I mean, _you_?"

Seth raised his eyebrow in annoyance, clearly insulted at what they were suggesting, "You truly are an idiot, though, I never held any doubts. It is not as if my brother follows her day after day or anything like that."

"Still," Tori looked back over at Seth skeptically, "it's a little unnerving, don't do it again."

Seth was about to answer back with his own comment when a shadow was suddenly overlooking the table. It was long and seemed to be the figure of a woman. Yami, already frustrated about Anzu, turned around ready to tell off the servant that was standing behind him. As soon as he did his words choked in his throat. It was no servant, no, it was Anzu.

There she stood, standing over him, a scowl on her normally smiling features. Yami, not liking the submitting position he was in, stood up, making sure she did not have the higher ground. Once on his feet, not once loosing eye contact with the brown haired woman before him, continued to stare her down. She too, refused to blink.

"Where have you been?" he asked, attempting to keep his cool while in front of others.

She glanced at the General swiftly, then back at Yami, "Around."

Yami suppressed a growl, but barely, "Around where? You were supposed to be here at the beginning of dinner."

"I wasn't hungry," she answered back sternly.

"That wasn't a request Anzu, I had given you an order," his fingers were making fists now and he had to dig his nails into his palms to concentrate on the pain, instead of his anger.

"Sorry, if figured you didn't want any monsters at the dinner table," she said calmly, though the passion in her eyes showed any onlookers how truly furious she was. Seth, knowing Anzu and what pushed her knew Yami was never going to make it out of this unscathed, and quite frankly, he was anticipating it. This needed to happen.

"Anzu, don't do this. I am Pharaoh, there are some decisions that need to be made and the sacrificing of a few beasts was-" but he was cut off by Anzu's furious tone.

"Beasts? Did you just call them beasts? So I guess I'm like the beast of all beasts then, I'm a full blown monster as well Yami, in case you forgot. In fact, I'm not just a monster, but I'm the leader of the monsters," she was really mad now. Seth could tell this was not going to be pretty.

"Anzu, don't make a bigger deal out of this then you have to, we have to stay unified! And as Pharaoh unified means you follow me, hear that Anzu? What I say goes, my word is law, not yours!"

Seth watched as Anzu pushed back a few well deserved comments to the back of her throat. Taking a few deep breaths her clenched hands relaxed and her tensed up face smoothed out once again. But her eyes, Seth watched as her eyes turned from anger to betrayal. He watched as her as those Safire blue orbs began to fill up with tears. Hurt, fear and pain were the emotions that flooded through her voice.

"Tell me Yami, why are you fighting on this side? Shouldn't you be standing next to Alec, finding new ways to inflict suffering?" with that said, Anzu turned around and walked back through the main hallway, not once slowing her step.

She left the dinning hall, she left the argument, she left Yami. Why was he acting this way? The Yugi in her time refused to hurt others, it went against his very being! Wasn't Yami just an older version of Yugi, his adult self? Trapped to through time to help him reach his true potential? There was no way this creature had any relation to Yugi. He didn't care, not one bit. Yugi lived and breathed the word caring.

Wiping away a few tears Tea looked up to see where her feet had taken her. Well, seems as if she was in the gardens once again. How is it she always ended up here?

"My Lady?"

Tea immediately swung around. She hadn't heard anyone approach, that was so not like her. When she finally regained her stance she saw a man who appeared to be in his early, maybe mid forties. He had shoulder length black hair that was starting to gray. Slightly, but still there. He was obviously well built, considering his age, and his stance shined with dominance. He probably reached a 6'3" height and was very beefy. If she hadn't of known better she would say he had Viking blood in him. But his eye's, his eye's shown wisdom. It was staring to make her uncomfortable, and although the man's eyes were brown; she was immediately reminded of Seth.

"Can I help you?" she managed. He seemed vaguely familiar, though she couldn't place it.

His face remained impassive, "Yes, I wanted to speak with you Lady Anzu. I am King Borek."

"King? Borek? Oh, right," she shifted uncomfortably. Something was putting her on edge about this man, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what. And she was absolutely positive she had met him, or at least seen him before.

That was when he gave a slight smirk, she shuttered, that too was all too similar to Seth. For a brief moment she wondered if the two were related. Then he spoke, "I am also the bystander you threw out of your room."

Oh god no, please say he did not just say that! Tea immediately tried to remember the night where she threw Yami out. Focusing on the face of the man behind Yami she visibly paled. Crap, ya, it was defiantly him. Damit, that's why he seemed familiar and that was probably why she was so on edge.

"Imagine my surprise when I am casually walking in an unknown country when I hear yelling. Following the voices I make it to a room where I see the Pharaoh I had just signed a treaty with and his famous Lady Anzu about to kill each other. Then, I'm lifted off the ground by a gust of wind and thrown through a wall."

"Umm…" oh that was brilliant. Tea honestly wasn't sure what to say, her and her temper.

His smirk grew wider, "Though, I do have to say, as much as I didn't appreciate being thrown against a stone wall, I do admire how dedicated you are to your country."

"Umm…" nope, still had nothing, "thanks?"

"I guess Lord Darus was correct, you are very much like my wife."

"Thank y-" wait, she thought about that comment for a moment, then it all seemed to click. "No I am not!"

His eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch, "Yes you are," she was to frustrated to notice him holding back another smirk, which if she would have known him at all, she would know is rare in itself.

"The hell I am! You are way to much like Seth for comfort, and if you are suggesting I'm at all like your wife then you are implying a ridiculous notion about Seth and me, and what's more, if I were to agree to that particular sentence of yours you would twist it into me liking that moron. Which I don't! So, in turn I am nothing like your wife, there now that's settled."

His smirk grew wider, "Seth and I."

Her face returned to its baffled look, "Huh?"

"You said Seth and me, the correct phrase is Seth and I."

"Oh God, there really is two of him!" she threw her hands up in the air and marched back up to her room.

The man just watched her form mold into the darkness with each step she took. He shook his head in amusement, oh, the good old days.

* * *

"That man! How can he even imply that about me and Seth? Really! And I thought double vision was bad, no, now there has to be an exact duplicate of his freakin personality!" Tea continued to pace around her room, "I can't believe he actually tried to pull that over me. Damn and he almost had me too-" 

She was cut off from her ranting by a steady knock outside her door. With a mere thought the stone door creaked open, Anzu must have bewitched it. It was the only explanation, I mean; it had to weigh like three more times than her. She looked around to see the very last person she wanted to be looking at.

The younger version.

"Anzu I wanted to talk abo-" but he was suddenly cut off by the door in his face, "what the hell? Anzu open up!" he banged on the stone door. Normally he remained impassive in situations like this but he was getting increasingly annoyed with getting kicked out and then Anzu slamming doors in his face.

"Go away Seth!"

"Make me!" oh that was mature, he rolled his eyes at his inner mind. What a time to make an appearance.

"Don't tempt me!" came a muffled voice through the door.

"Anzu, we have to talk about the members which were divided with Shane's death," he waited for the door to open, straining his hearing. Damn, nothing.

"I would wait till tomorrow High Priest," Seth immediately swung around with the approach of a new voice. He was met with a blonde haired woman looking to be about 5'3". He immediately recognized her as Queen Asmara, but that wasn't what was bugging him, no, it was the fact that she had snuck up on him. No one could do that, well, no one but perhaps Anzu, and that usually wasn't sneaking. That usually entailed him being crashed into by her.

"Excuse me?"

"Something is obviously on her mind, I know if it were me, after tonight I would appreciate some alone time," her voice was soft, almost soothing. Nothing like the wench who just slammed a solid stone door in his face.

"We don't have time for tomorrow," he growled.

The woman just gave a heartfelt giggle. It was odd, he had heard Anzu laugh like that a few times, never around him of course, at least when she knew he was around. He would usually be walking by, or into the room. It was an airy, soothing laugh; one without a care in the world.

"Come, walk with me?"

She placed her delicate hand in front of his form, obviously wanting him to take it. Seth glanced back at the impenetrable stone door which would rebound any attacks he would chance to throw at it. Sighing in defeat, though he would never admit it, he visible relaxed. Suddenly he felt an arm hooking in with his own, leading him down the hall.

He looked up shocked to see the usually quiet Queen Asmara leading him outside and to the gardens. It had definitely caught him off guard; usually Anzu was the only one who could get up the guts to touch him. Well, that was probably because his verbal attacks never seemed to faze her as they did everyone else.

Once they were outside Queen Asmara sat down next to the fountain, gently pulling him down next to her. It was quiet for a few minutes as the woman just sat there with her eye's closed, taking in deep breaths of fresh air. He was about to say something along the lines of him leaving when she cut him off.

"Do you ever just sit outside and look at what you see?"

"No, it is a waste of time to me, much can be done within a small span of time, every moment counts," he answered back, phased by her question but unwilling to show it.

Eyes still closed she gave a small smile, "Yes, my husband is the same way, always trying to use his time properly, never really stopping. I usually have to force him to pause and enjoy life for what it is."

A few more moments of silence passed between the two, when a question that had been bothering Seth since she spoke decided to voice itself. "Why do you ask?"

It was then that the woman finally opened her eye's and looked at him, "I saw Lady Anzu out here earlier today, she just stood here mesmerized by the beauty surrounding her…tell me High Priest Seth, what were the emotions you felt when Lady Anzu disappeared from the world of men, war and betrayal?"

Seth watched her intently. She was no longer care free and peaceful as she had been, no, now her gaze was serious. He knew this was not a question she was willing to be brushed off by a sly comment either. But how was he to answer this when he himself was confused? "I…I don't know."

The smile returned, "You don't know?"

Seth took a deep breath in, "No, I don't think I do. When she left all I could think about was Mekubo and how this was affecting him. For a while, I blamed her for his sufferings, but I thought for sure this wasn't going to last. This was Anzu after all…but the days passed. Days turned into week's and weeks turned into months."

"Did it hurt?"

He looked over at her, how was it she was getting him to talk like this? He never talked to anyone like this, ever, but here he was…sharing. He moved his gaze from Queen Asmara and up towards the sky where the stars above him shown brightly. After a few more moments he took another sigh in and answered. "Yes, it did. It was odd, the way it hurt. I soon found myself…missing her. I missed our arguments, her idiotic lectures, her naïve drive to help everyone in sight. It was, no, still is so new to me. I've never…missed anyone before."

"Missing someone shows compassion," she answered back to his unasked question.

He stood up, ready to end this conversation, "Yes, and compassion shows weakness," with that said he walked out of the gardens and back to his own room, leaving behind an allied Queen who, unbeknownst to his knowledge, smiled larger with each step he took.

* * *

Seto stared lifelessly at his computer screen, this was by far the very last thing he wanted to be doing right now. Why couldn't he just be the irresponsible reckless one just for today? 

His new secretary walked in through the double doors of his large office carrying a few folders. She was a little to chipper for his liking. "Here are your Mikado files sir, how was the board meeting?"

He snatched the files from her grasp and practically growled when her face even hinted at questioning if he was alright. The woman quickly ran out of the room, a skip no longer in her step. Slamming the files down on the desk he reached for his temple and rubbed his head soothingly. Finally calming his raging headache down a bit, he reached for a drawer on his left, needing some pain reliever and fast.

Wile rummaging he thought over the meetings events, why in the hell were people so incompetent? Why did they insist on being so utterly useless? Did they enjoy it or something?

Finally finding the oval shaped bottled he reached out and yanked the top off, almost. He looked down to see the cap still on and no Tylenol coming out, fucking childproof locks! Trying again, but to frustrated to manage the bottle he picked up his stapler and smashed it down on the top of the stupid thing keeping him from what he wanted. After a few hard and frustrated blows he looked down to see the white case completely undamaged. It was mocking him, he knew it.

Slamming his fist down on the intercom he yelled at the now terrified secretary to get her lazy ass in here this instant. The door opened slightly as the woman carefully stepped in, still shaking out of fear. She had heard crashing noises coming from inside the room only to have her boss continue to scare the living day lights out of her. What's more she could still hear his curses radiating throughout the hall and the slamming noises were not stopping and now she was supposed to go in?

"Yes?" she asked timidly.

Something white, semi-large and sort of round came flying at her. She immediately ducked and hit the floor, clasping her hands over her head. The white object pelted over her body, which was now in a fetus position, and smacked into the wall where she was previously leaning against. The object suddenly cracked open against impact and hundreds of pain reliever pills came flying out.

Her boss was suddenly standing in front of her as she looked up. If she didn't know any better she would have sworn his eyes were glowing red and horns were coming out of his head. Can't forget the fire coming out of his mouth, no, would not want to over look that.

"Never mind," with that he leaned down and picked up a few pills and casually walked back over to his desk, disregarding the whole incident.

His poor secretary was desperately trying to forget the whole thing herself, as she stood up and dusted imaginary lint off her clothes. As she turned around and reached the door a voice stopped her. "Bring me some water."

She gulped, he was defiantly in a bad mood, "Yes sir," was quickly uttered as she hurried out of the room and into the hall way. Yes, he was _defiantly _in a bad mood.

* * *

Seto was pissed, why the hell did people take pleasure out of being so utterly inadequate in their day to day lives? It was rather sickening, not to mention annoying. Damit all to hell, his day was not getting any better. 

He continued to bang on the door to the small game shop where Yami resided. Finally he saw a shadow in the room, it was about time. As he was waiting impatiently on the side walk, scaring any passerby's who were unlucky enough to be passing through; he listened as the door creaked open. What he saw, even surprised him

There stood Yami in all his glory, the great duel monster champion, a complete and total wreck. His hair was messy, must have had a dozen knots it in, his clothes were ruffled, scrunched up and obviously dirty and his shoes were undone. Yami's face was visibly pale and the dark circles around his eyes did nothing to help his completion, nor did the red stress veins.

In all honesty, Yami looked like Seto felt.

Seto raised an eyebrow, "You look horrible."

Yami didn't say anything back, he couldn't. There was nothing to say, the issue with Tea had finally hit him. Right now, nothing mattered. Seto could see it in his eyes, could see it in his stance. Yami was not prepared to be helping anyone. So, Seto did the first compassionate thing that came to his mind, of course something that he would never admit to. "I'll tell you what Yami, you go back upstairs, I'll call you later."

He saw Yami's eye's widen a fraction of an inch in surprise, "I-"

"Relax, you've obviously missed placed your MPD(Multiple Personality Disorder) medicine, you'd be utterly useless anyway," he smirked, hell, he was the Seto Kaiba, compassion could only go so far.

He saw the boy rise for the bate, in truth he was anticipating it, it had been a while since he had managed a good row. It was shortly after Tea's collapse that he realized the sad truth, she was really the only decent person in this city to fight with. Everyone else was just so damn boring. But, to his dismay Yami swallowed his pride and shook his head almost relieved, "Whatever you say Kaiba."

With that said, Yami turned around heading back upstairs, but before Seto could do the same and head for his limo, Yami turned back around. "Hey Kaiba…thanks."

Kaiba faced the spiky haired Yami, he frowned, "I'm not doing this for you."

Yami just smirked, "Ya, I know it, your doing it for Mokuba," with that the door was shut and Seto stepped into his limo. He didn't like the way Yami had said that last sentence, it was obvious Yami didn't think his own statement true. Why would he think that? Really, who else would he be doing this for?

* * *

Seto's day had still not gotten better. He was still in a horrible mood and he still wanted to rip someone's throat out, unfortunately for him, and the world, his usual punching bag was currently in a coma. Damn, he really needed to release some of these frustrations, and as semi-appealing as going to the hospital and telling off a lifeless body sounded, it just didn't have its usual appeal. That was probably due to the fact that there wouldn't be any comments flying back at him just as forcefully. 

Why did he need this so badly? It was almost as if he was _dependant_ on her. But he wasn't, he couldn't be, he was Seto Kaiba! He relied on no one.

The car stopped as Seto was finding himself more and more frustrated. I am not fucking dependant on Tea Gardner of all people! It was the one thing he was yelling through his head over and over again. Finally he couldn't take it and grabbed the handle on the door, before his driver had the chance to and pushed it open, with an unusual amount of strength.

He felt the door impact with something solid but didn't care, he was in to much a foul mood to care. In fact, it only partially registered that his driver was standing there wheezing because the wind had been knocked out of him. It barely even registered that that solid object had been his driver that had been slammed with the car door and then back into the limo because of the sheer force. Nope, he still didn't care.

If he was in a bad mood, everyone was going to have a horrible day, that was just the way things went.

Seto gripped his briefcase tighter in his grip, hoping some sleep would solve his problems, even though he knew it wouldn't. And Tylenol doesn't help a bad day get better.

Charging through his house he was becoming increasingly annoyed. Why was that maid standing there doing nothing? Was that a scuff mark on the ground? Why was the damn house so quite? People should be working here! He didn't pay them to sit around, more incompetence! They all need to get fired!

"Seto? What are you doing home so soon?" asked a voice from behind him.

Seto stopped in his tracks, Mokuba was not someone he wanted to see right now because his little brother was the last person Seto wanted to be blowing up at. He slowly turned around, "I was tired, I'm going to bed, hold all my calls kid."

"Ok-"

"Mokuba! Mokuba!"

They both turned around at the sound of a girl yelling, well, more like screeching in Seto's opinion. Who the hell let someone in his house? They were all getting fired.

Soon a blonde came bouncing around the corner. She must have been about Mokuba's age but her glasses threw him off, she seemed older. The girl skidded in her tracks when she saw who was standing next to her friend, Seto visibly saw her gulp. He loved the effect he had on people.

"Umm…"

Seto smirked, this girl was obviously terrified of him, which was rather funny since he got the impression she wasn't terrified easily. "Who are you?" he asked roughly.

"I'm uh, Rebecca Hopkins sir," she answered shakily.

"And why the hell are you in my house screeching like a gorilla?"

"Umm…well-"

But she was saved by Mokuba, "She's here to help me feed Tea's animals, I think, but didn't you leave like three hours ago?"

She gulped again, her eye's never leaving Seto Kaiba's, then she turned her gaze to Mokuba. Wait a minute, was that a…it was, she was blushing. Seto smirked as her gaze went back to him, seems he had another admirer. "Well?" he asked.

Her blush grew tenfold, she looked like a bright red balloon. "Umm…I came back cause I wanted Mokuba to have this for a bit."

The girl, still refusing to lift her gaze to meet the older Kaiba brother's own, pulled something from her back pack. As soon as Seto saw it he knew exactly what it was, it was another DVD, one undoubtedly of Tea doing something idiotic as all the rest had been of.

Mokuba quickly took it and read the label, but what got Seto's attention was the kid's reaction. Moving his gaze from the still blushing girl he watched his brother. "It's…really?"

Rebecca nodded.

"But this was only a few day's before…" he stopped, but thankfully Rebecca continued the sentence.

"Before Tea fell into her coma, ya, I know. I must have watched it three times already but I know you were closer to her than I ever was, and Tea and I were pretty close."

"You, you're giving this to me?" Seto could have sworn Mokuba's eyes were being to fill with tears. What could be so important? Then again, Mokuba always did have weird priories.

Rebecca looked a little hesitant, whatever was on it was obviously important to her as well. "Well, just until Tea gets better, you can have it till then. It's all yours."

Mokuba walked the short three steps and hugged Rebecca. "Thank you, I promise I won't let anything happen to it. I swear it."

She let go and then wiped a tear away, still not looking at Seto, an act which seemed to only be noticed by him. "Alright, I'll see you in a few days!" with that the small girl left, waving all the way down the hall as she ran. Seto watched her head around the corner, his day only slightly better, although, he wasn't sure why.

He turned to Mokuba, "He Mokuba, what's that?" he pointed to the DVD.

Mokuba clutched it closer to his chest possessively as his eye's glazed over. He released his two second grip and looked down at it. "It's Tea about three days before…I forgot we even had it. I can't believe Rebecca gave it up like that. I know that day meant as much to her as it did me."

Seto watched his younger brother once again, his calculating stare which had been forced to make hard core decisions which would have destroyed the company or raise its value, penetrate into his brothers mind. "Mind if we watch it?"

Mokuba looked at Seto questioningly, "You want to watch something about Tea? Willingly?"

"Hey, what do you think I have been doing for the past two weeks?"

Mokuba shook his head, "No, you never suggested it, I always did."

Seto smirked, "Well now I am, but I guess if you don't want to-"

"No! You just surprised me that's all big brother."

Seto tossed his briefcase on the nearest table and turned back to Mokuba, who was still holding the thing possessively. "Besides, maybe watching Gardner do something stupid will get me out of my bad day."

"Big brother!"

"What? Can you blame me?" Seto contemplated grabbing the disk but had a gut feeling Mokuba wasn't going to let the thing go without some resistance, why? He had no clue, but whatever was on that disk was extremely important to both Mokuba and the Hopkins girl. "What do you say we watch it in my room?"

Seto actually laughed a full out laugh as Mokuba's eye's widened to that of saucers. "Wh-wh-what!"

"My room, video, watch," Seto was now trying not to continue laughing, though it was rather hard at the moment.

"You mean that big brother?"

"Why wouldn't I mean it?"

"Well, it's just we never do anything in your room, actually, I'm not in there very often…so we can really watch it there?" asked Mokuba.

"We can really watch it there."

Together the two walked into the elder Kaiba's bedroom and Mokuba immediately jumped on the bed, while Seto grabbed the remote control of the incredibly large TV which to a small 12-year-old, was about the size of a garage door.

Once on, Seto turned back around and sat on his bed, waiting for Mokuba to put in the disk, but instead, Mokuba just looked at him questioningly. "Can I help you?"

Mokuba frowned, "Why is your bed more comfortable than mine is?"

"Cause I pay the bills, now are you going to put that thing in or not. I'm waiting to see Gardner trip or fall or something. Or maybe somehow find herself dumped into a trash can, you never really know with her."

"Big brother!"

"What? I haven't had my daily dosage of her stupidity for a while now," he watched as Mokuba rolled his eye's and jumped over to the DVD carrier, but when he got over there he had no clue what to do, and more importantly where to put the miniaturized memory.

He turned to face Seto, "Umm…"

Seto too rolled his eyes and pressed another button, only to have the disk player pop out next to his night stand. Mokuba laughed foolishly and put it in, eventually crawling over his brother and snuggling up next to him.

Seto smiled and pressed play, still wondering what could be so important to Mokuba.

Once again a familiar scene played out in front of the Kaiba brothers, a gray fuzzy screen, and then it got loud.

He watched intently to see a large, full and overstocked kitchen, he recognized it as Tea's. Then, a girl walked into the room, she had strawberry blonde hair which was very long and went past her waist. It looked like she was maybe 15 or 16-years-old, but age didn't matter. No, Seto immediately recognized her as the Wheeler brat, Joey's little sister. What was her name again? Serenity was it?

Though, who she was didn't affect him nearly as much as what she was wearing. He'd never seen her look so unkempt. She had on a tight green tank top and a pair of white and red pajama bottoms. Her strawberry blonde hair was done up in messy half ponytail which and she wore no makeup.

Right behind her came the very girl he had just met, Rebecca Hopkins. She too was in her pajama shorts which happened to be green and white stripes, and she wore an oversized T-shirt that was tied it the back so it didn't fall off. The red and white thing was obviously not hers; it was way too big and falling off the girl's shoulders.

Next was someone he could never forget, he had tried. The legendary Mai Valentine. She wore purple spandex shorts and a red tank top, her feet done up in knee high white Christmas socks with little reindeer all over them. She also wore a pair of reindeer antlers on her head.

Well that was a sight he was never going to forget.

Mai walked over to the camera and picked it up off the counter where it had previously lane.

"_Awe Mai! Do we have to record this? I don't look anywhere near decent!" whined Serenity._

Seto had to agree, she really didn't.

"_Girl, this is the first time you and Becca over there have done this, of course we have to record this! This is history in the making, now shut up and get Tea in here, she is defiantly the one person we can't do this without!"_

Serenity rolled her eye's and headed out of the room, searching for the unseen girl. The camera turned to Rebecca who looked like she felt out of place, _"You know, its girls like her that made me get in fights when I was younger, she better feel lucky that I like her sorry ass."_

_Rebecca smiled and nodded, then a voice came from behind them. "Whatever, more like her brother's sorry ass."_

The camera turned only to have the lens face the ground, but you could still hear it. _"That ain't funny Tea!"_

"_Yes it was,"_ was the response from Tea's end.

"_Oh really, how would you feel if I said you liked Mokuba cause your really after his brother's sorry ass?"_

"_I'd probably laugh then too,"_ responded Tea's voice again, _"though, I guess if you wanted to go for a really twisted and demented stretch it could be considered true, Kaiba is much easier to nag when your secret weapon is his baby brother."_

"_Your infuriating,"_ there was a sigh and the camera started to move again. It started at the floor where nothing but the wood designs were visible, till it turned into feet. Seto had to guess they were Tea's since they too had knee high socks on, only they were bright red with little Santa Clauses' all over them. As the camera traveled further up, Seto found his temperature rising. Why? He had no clue, all he knew was that it was.

The camera traveled up her toned legs and past her thighs and to her hips, which was covered in black spandex shorts, very similar to Mai's. Her hands were on her hips as well, manicured French nails resting there mockingly. As the camera moved higher Seto had to stop himself from adjusting his collar, which seemed uncommonly tight.

Next was her waist line, where part of her flat, muscular stomach showed due to the rising of her white tank top which started halfway past her belly button. Finally the thing rested on her face, where her cheeks were tinted with red and a Santa Clause hat sat lopsided on her head.

Two words hit Seto in that moment, why? Once again no clue, but they did. Adorably sexy.

* * *

Firevixen73-Ok, so I know that was a horrible place to stop but I had to get this chapter done so I didn't get hunted down or anything, and I needed something for the next chapter as well. So, how is everybody doing? Everything good? Hope so, and just to brighten everything up, I already know what both sections for the next chapter should be like I just have to type it down. Sorry about this one not being all to action packed, but, all is necessary. 

You finally got to meet King Borek and Queen Asmara, and who is this new player? The General's nephew Ravn? Is he significant at all or just something to mess with your minds? And what's going to happen between Tea and Yami? And what is that tape exactly and why does it mean so much to _both_ Mokuba and Rebecca? So many questions, so many answers, and I have them all!

Bonus of being the writer. So, everyone enjoy and review! Love you all so much, please make my day and give me lots of nice messages in my e-mail box, thank you!


	14. Carrot Cake

Tea stood looking out her balcony, well, technically Anzu's balcony. Though, I guess if you looked at it from a purely ownership level it was Tea's as well, considering she and Anzu were the same…sort of. It was all too confusing for her own good, best not to think about it.

Tea sighed and rested her head on the stone railing. Why was her life so bloody complicated? What, it just could lighten up at all? She wanted to go home, she wanted to be back in her own house so badly, with Trisket and Mokuba there with her on the couch. With a laughing Yugi desperately trying to keep Jyo from doing something stupid. A failing cause in itself but attemptable.

Yugi…he wasn't going to turn into this was he? He wasn't going to become some power hungry madman right? Anzu closed her eyes, she wanted to be home. She wanted to be back in her own time, the time where she could make sure that this part of his personality never had the chance to develop. That was what she did after all; Tea was the moral support of the group, the cheerful one, the lively one, the happy one. Would they be ok without her? Were they ok right now?

So many questions that were currently unanswerable. Would they ever be answered? Would she ever make it back?

Tea reopened her eyes, a small tear gliding down her cheek. She wiped its remains away and stood up strait, one tear was all she had time for. One tear was all she could spare.

"Anzu?"

Tea smiled at the innocent voice calling her name, though, she still was unsure how she was hearing it. Sighing and shaking her head Tea focused her hearing on where the sound was coming from only to have her attention drawn a couple of floors below. Turning around to face her cracked open door Tea leaned her back against the railing and once again let her sight wander. She watched as it led her down the hallway and through a doorway, then once again down a flight of stairs only to have to procedure repeated. Just as before her vision seemed like it was looking through a crystal ball, or a cat's perspective, with certain things heightened. Eventually her sight led her right to where her hearing had wanted it to go, showing her Mekubo.

He was looking for her, three floors down and was talking to a guard. She should probably head down now before he became too frantic. She heard a creaking noise but kept her attention on Mekubo. It was maid, undoubtedly here to ask her if Anzu would be joining the others for lunch.

"My Lady, should I walk you down stairs to meet with the other Lords or will you be dinning in your room today?" asked the woman politely.

Still focusing on Mekubo's and the guard's discussion about where Anzu could be and where Mekubo should head next, Anzu answered back. "Yes, I will go down I suppose, but don't worry about walking me, I will manage," Tea decided to cut off her sight with Mekubo and turned fully to the maid, "You just have a nice lunch."

The maid smiled, "Thank you My Lady, and you as well. I will see you at dinner then."

Tea smiled as the maid walked out the door and headed into the hall. Though, she smiled even larger at the thought of gaining control of her powers. Not only had she been able to fully concentrate on Mekubo's conversation but her own as well. There was no split in the middle; each had somehow had her full-undivided attention. Damn, she was getting good at this.

With another smirk Tea headed out her own door and into the main dinning area.

* * *

Seth really didn't want her to show up, like, really, really, really didn't want her to. After the talk with Queen Asmara all he could seem to think about was her, it was driving him crazy. And of course she showed up, probably just in spite of him. That was what drove him crazy about her. Not only could he _never_ tell what she was thinking but to top it all off, she seemed to _always_ know what he was. Then she would decide to go the extra mile and do the exact opposite of what he knew she knew he didn't want her to do. 

Stupid woman.

"Anzu," he said silently.

She looked in his direction, wait, was that…a blush?

"Seth," she bowed her head politely.

What the hell? He debated asking her if she had a fever or something, but decided against it. Like hell if he cared, "Are you sick?" what the hell was going on? Since when did his mouth move without consulting with his brain first?

"What?" her blush grew deeper, "no. Why would you care anyways?"

There was no sarcastic tone in her voice, just curiosity. Damn, did she enjoy messing with him or something? Seth had no idea how to react, so, he decided to do the one move that never failed him, he smirked. He pulled off an evil, know-it-all smirk that never failed to rile her up. It was after all, his secret weapon with her.

Her rosy tinted cheeks paled and her wide eye's narrowed, "Damn bastard," she spoke defensively as if he had said something unforgivable to her.

The smirk grew. Had to love the smirk, it had never failed him.

"Big brother?" came radiating through the halls, interrupting the current glaring session, though, neither moved their gaze.

"Big brother have you seen An…Anzu there you are!" yelled Mekubo joyously as he entered the large room.

Tea, deciding it would be more fun to piss off the Priest by ignoring him and adoring his little brother, turned her gaze and swept Mekubo into her arms. Damn he was big; she made a quick glance at Seth. She suppressed a grin, ok; her aching back was worth it, just to see the look on the morons face.

"Big brother, what's wrong?"

Seth's smirk fell as Tea's smirk grew.

"What have I told you about flea's Mekubo?"

Tea cut in, "Yes Seth, have you taken that bath yet?"

Seth reached out for his brother and yanked Mekubo out of Tea's grasp, "Sleep with dog's and you end up with flea's."

Tea grabbed Mekubo's other arm and pulled him back towards her while staring strait into Seth's eyes, "Oh, did you manage that all on your own? A++ for you."

Seth continued to pull harder on Mekubo's arm and the small boy was again dragged from the middle, where he preferred to be. "Bite me," growled Seth.

"I see your finally admitting your flea problem," smirked Tea. This conversation had nothing to do with Mekubo, no, this was all about dominance and she'd fall on the ground dead before she let Seth gain the upper hand over her.

"And this right here is the dinning area, where you ate just last-oh, hey Lady Anzu, High Priest Seth," said Tori as he walked into the room. A sight that made Tea want to gag, General Akito and his nephew Ravn, soon followed him. Not that she had ever met Ravn or anything but she wasn't willing to take any chances. Burned once, shame on them, burned twice, shame on her.

"Lady Anzu, High Priest Seth, I do believe you remember General Akito and his nephew. Though, I know the High Priest has met Ravn, I don't believe you have Anzu," said Tori.

Ravn stepped forward; he seemed to be in his early 20's and had short blond hair cut around his ears. It sort of reminded Tea of the hairstyles from her time, only a bit shaggier. He also wore about three earrings on each ear, give or take a few, the last one's hanging down in gold hoops. He wore flowing robes that did nothing to hide his nice figure or chiseled build. Ravn took a low bow in front of Tea, "My Lady, I am honored to meet you," raising his gaze he gently grabbed Tea's hand and placed it in his own. Tea immediately noticed the bright jewelry decorating his fingers. Bringing her own hand up to his lips he placed a gentle kiss and released his hold.

Tea couldn't help but blush, it's not everyday something like this happened to her. Of course, it wasn't everyday that she was thrown thousands of years into the past but that was beside the point. "Um, yes, it is an honor to meet you as well Lord Ravn," she stuttered.

He gave a devastating grin, "Please my Lady, call me Ravn. Lord Tori was just showing my Uncle and I around if you would like to join us. As enlightening as it is to have Lord Tori around it would be even better if you were to join us," spoke Lord Ravn calmly.

"I-" Tea started but was cut off by a certain unexpected someone.

"She can't, she promised to spend the day with me," said Mekubo defensively while stepping in front of Tea's body like some sort of bodyguard.

Ravn gave off a small laugh, "It seems you are busy then, maybe some other time?" he looked at Tea but again Mekubo answered before she had the chance.

"Some other time," he said while giving off a miniature version of his brothers famous 'get out of my way or I'll squash you like the insect you are' glare.

Before Tea could apologize for Mekubo's actions Tori had whisked them out of the room and continued on with his tour. Tea immediately turned to Mekubo her hand on her hips, "What was that about?"

Mekubo just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, "What was what about?"

Tea's eye's narrowed, "Why were you so rude to him Mekubo, that's nothing like you at all?"

"I wasn't rude, I was just telling him you already had plans for today," he answered back.

Tea wasn't sure what to say to that. Mekubo was rude, and he knew it, but why did he even act like that? It was nothing like Mekubo at all. Usually if Mekubo was rude it was to defend his brother, everything went down hill when it came to the elder of the two brothers. But Seth hadn't even been part of the conversation, which Tea was positive Seth was happy about. He hated people and preferred to have nothing to do with them if there was anything he could do about it. So what was with Mekubo?

"I don't remember saying we had plans today Mekubo," she said suspiciously.

"Well I really wanted to go down to the gardens today and have a picnic," he answered back.

Tea gave a quick glance in Seth's direction but the man was as useless as he normally was. He just stood there, watching everything play out. Damn it all, his freaking smirk was back! She suppressed a growl, "So you made plans for me?"

"I figured you wouldn't mind, you'd much rather spend time with me then with that Ravn guy right?"

"What I would rather do or rather not do is not the subject matter right now Mekubo," she gave him a disapproving look.

It was quiet; she could see his resolve starting to waver. He knew what he did was wrong, that much was certain, but as to why he did it Tea had yet to figure out. Mekubo shuffled his feet a bit while looking at the ground, finally he looked back up at Tea, "I'm sorry Anzu, I just…I shouldn't have done that. I'll go tell Lord Ravn I' sorry too if you really want me too."

"I think that would be best," she answered back, her parenting voice softening once again.

"Are you still going to spend the day with him?" he asked almost to quietly for her to hear.

Tea continued to watch him, "Oh, I don't know, I was thinking of a walk through the gardens and maybe a picnic."

The boy's eye's immediately lit up, "Really?"

"Only if you apologize to Lord Ravn though, and promise not to do anything like that again," said Tea.

"Oh I promise, I wont do it again," he said excitedly.

She sighed, "Alright, then I promise, but you don't have to apologize right now, it would be best if you did it at dinner."

"I'll go get a basket!" The boy quickly sprinted out of the room and into the kitchens, leaving Seth and Tea alone once again.

Before Seth even had a chance to defend himself Tea turned and punched him in the arm. "Bitch what the hell was that for?"

"Why didn't you stop him?"

"Stop him from what?" he answered back, trying not to show that his shoulder still hurt.

"What do you mean from what? Mekubo never talks to people like that! This is why he shouldn't hang around you, you are a horrible influence on someone as young as him. You don't give a crap about others and it's rubbing off. Mekubo is to sweet to end up like you Seth," she continued to glare at him and without giving him a chance to defend himself she walked into the hallway, not even wanting to be in the same room as him.

Seth wasn't quite sure what to say, it was there again, that look. It was the look she gave when she wasn't kidding anymore. It was the look she had when she was under Alec's mind games, a look saying she had given up, that she truly didn't care. It was the look that said, 'I can't stand to look at you any longer'. He had gotten that look many times and felt nothing, but for some reason whenever Anzu was the one to deal it to him, his whole body shook in an unknown sensation.

He couldn't describe it, and he really didn't have the time to try and figure it out, all he knew what that he didn't like it. He didn't like how his heart would momentarily freeze in fear of what she would say next, or quiver when she would walk away in hatred. No, he didn't like it, he couldn't say why he didn't like it, but he didn't.

Who the hell was she anyways? Telling him to stay away from his own brother? She wasn't his family, his blood, she had no say whatsoever. Hell, look at her family, they were all worse then anything she could ever accuse him of. A father who sold his soul and his family's freedom for power. Brothers who try to control that power through murder. No, she wasn't one to talk about family.

"Seth? Where is Anzu?"

Seth was brought out of his thoughts by Mekubo's curious voice. He was about to answer when he noticed something different about his brother's posture. It was almost…angry. Mekubo's eyes were in slits and his stance was rigid, something Seth recognize from his countless negotiations with other countries.

"What is going on?" asked Seth in a rigid tone. Seth was never harsh with his brother but something was out of place and if Mekubo thought he could dominate his brother…Mekubo had another thing coming.

With that one phrase Mekubo snapped, "How could you not stop him?!"

"Wha-"

"How could _you_ not stop _him?!_ Why did you not cut in? She doesn't belong to him, you were here first! She's yours! And you did nothing!" yelled Mekubo furiously.

Seth was speechless, what the hell was Mekubo talking about? Him? Stop? Who was he trying to stop? What belong to him? Seth was about to ask those exact questions when he looked at his brother's face, fresh tears were pouring. Mekubo was crying. It wasn't over something Anzu did, there was no blame to place but on himself. He had never made Mekubo cry before, at least not that he knew of, but here Mekubo was…crying. He had made his brother cry, and he didn't even know why!

"I'm leaving," and with that Mekubo was gone to go find Anzu.

Seth just stood there shocked, what was going on in his life? Mekubo was mad at him and he cared that Anzu was, why was his world always upside down when that damn woman was around? Seth moved over to a chair and slumped down in it, placing his head in his hands, just wanting the world to leave him alone, if just for a bit.

* * *

Tea debated what to say to Mekubo, he was acting strange again. The boy's mind was entirely elsewhere which was rather odd for him. "Want to talk about it?" 

She watched him frown, "There is nothing to talk about," he answered back.

"You sure?"

"Yes," was his short reply.

"Ok, we don't have to talk about it," she waited a couple of minutes, knowing her Mokuba was never good at keeping his emotions buried and wouldn't last much longer by his own devices, hopefully his past self was the same. Reaching forwards she pulled an apple from the wicker basket and took a bite from it.

"Would you really go with him?"

She stopped mid chew, that was what she was waiting for. Finishing her bite Tea looked up towards the sky, "Go with whom?"

"…Ravn."

"If his Uncle wasn't with him, perhaps," she took another bite, waiting for him to say what was really bothering him.

"Why?"

"Because he was nice to me, obviously that is harder to find around here then one would guess," she answered back smoothly, again without looking at him.

"Is it because of Seth? Is he not nice enough to you?"

It was odd, Mekubo sounded genuinely curious, had he not seen her and his brother in the same room before? Cause she was under the distinct impression that he had. Tea decided she was going to have to be extremely careful with her wording. "Yes and no. He's not the best towards me but then again, it's not like I expect him to be."

"If he was nicer to you would you talk to him more?"

All right, now this conversation was just crazy overall. "Mekubo, what are you trying to get at?"

"I'm not trying to get at anything, I was just curious…so would you?"

Tea tried really hard not to sigh but it was just so tempting. Where was he coming up with all these questions? "I guess if he was nice to me, ya, I'd talk to him more. But Mekubo I don't think you get it that that isn't going to happen, this is your brother we're talking about. One, he hates me, two, he hates people, three, he hates talking unnecessarily, four, there are some things even you cannot convince your brother to do."

There was a silence between them, then Mekubo looked up at her, "It could still happen."

Tea rolled her eyes, "Ok, maybe if he hit his head and had serious brain damage or something."

"But it could still happen though," he smiled this time.

"Brain damage," was her only response.

"But could still happen," he started laughing and picked up the basket with the remaining food and headed over to the horses.

Tea stood up and fed her remaining apple to her own horse, "Brain damage," she practically sang back.

Mekubo mounted his horse, "But still in the range of possibilities."

Tea smiled and mounted her own horse after nuzzling its nose, "Bodily pain and irreversible damage to your kin."

"Yet still possible."

* * *

Yami stood with Ravn and Seth in the gardens, incredibly deep into the lands if you thought about it. They were on the border of the flowers and trees, an oasis being their meeting place. He had been so out of sorts of late, he just wasn't sure what to do anymore. This was not how a Pharaoh was supposed to handle himself; he was supposed to be sure, a fighting figure for the people to trust. He glanced over to see his general and both Lord Tori and Lord Jyo behind him. Neither of his two Lords looked too pleased. 

"Why are we meeting all the way out here Pharaoh?" asked General Akito.

"I thought we could get more done without any distractions," he answered back. In truth he didn't want to run into Anzu, or the accusing glances she was sure to give him. He turned to Seth, "have you spoken to Lady Anzu about the new division of mons-Guardian members?"

"No, she was busy," Seth answered back, but before anyone could add to the Priest's comment laughter filled their ears. It was a woman's and it seemed a small boy's as well.

"Oh please, you can't catch me," laughed the woman.

"Yes I can, I'm Seth's little brother, there's nothing I can't do!"

The sound of horses soon followed the laughter, and then a deep chocolate brown horse came leaping through a set of nearby trees, "Brain damage!" Tea laughed.

Another brown horse, though lighter in color, soon came from the same direction, only there was a small boy with long and wild black hair riding on his back, "Still possible!"

Tea came running up to him and circled his horse in an incredible speed, making sure to confuse him and his rider. She leaped out of the way before Mekubo could grab her. She laughed harder, she started to race again, still not noticing their audience, "Brain-" but the rest of her sentence was lost as she made eye contact with Yami.

Mekubo, utterly oblivious at the moment, grabbed a hold of Tea's reigns and smiled, "I win, hey, what's wrong?" he finally looked in the direction she was staring at, "Oh."

"What are you doing here Anzu?" asked Yami. He winced, that was not the tone he wanted to ask her in.

His tone had made her mad, why did he think he could speak to her like that? Tea stayed on her horse, knowing it was probably driving Yami crazy that she had the higher ground, "Converting others to my monster ways," was her sharp reply, but before Yami could manage anything the same gold light filled her eyes and leaked to the outline of her body. As soon as the light receded, so did she, leaving nothing but a very confused horse.

Yami sighed, how is it he could never say the right thing to her? Was this how Seth felt all the time? No, Seth meant to be mean to her, Yami didn't…well always anyway. Was he in the wrong? He had been so caught up in the possible end of the war that he didn't even think about his own troops? His own country? Anzu was right, he was wrong, he needed to fix this. Stepping forwards he grabbed the reins of Anzu's horse and mounted it. Turning towards his comrades he answered their unasked question, "We'll finish this later," and with that, he rode off towards his fortress, where he knew she had to be.

* * *

Seto started at the screen, not sure what to think. Consciously, he was trying to push aside the fluttering feeling in his stomach, but subconsciously it kept popping up. What was going on, he wasn't some immature little school brat with no control over his emotions-hormones, he meant to say hormones, not emotions, defiantly not emotions. The only emotion that existed when it came to Tea was how much he couldn't stand her. She was annoying, demanding, inferior, bitchy, hormonal, whiny, second rate, noisy and all the other adjectives that he couldn't think of right now. 

He was going to concentrate on the damn movie and get a good laugh as Gardner fell on her ass.

Focusing back on the movie he listened and watched hoping it would be over soon, yet, the phrase adorably sexy kept floating through his head no matter how hard he tried to push it out.

_Serenity was the first to talk, "So, what exactly are we doing and why do we have to dress up like this?"_

_Tea shook her head in disappointment, "Because it is an old tradition of mine, just because you all are weird and don't celebrate Christmas like I do doesn't mean I'm giving in without a fight, besides, Mai absolutely loves this."_

"_So," asked Serenity again, "it's still like three weeks till Christmas, why today?"_

_Mai spoke this time, "Because you are all stingy and this was the only day we could get everyone together, that, and could you imagine trying to get everything done on Christmas Eve?"_

"_Shall we start?" asked Tea._

"_You know it girl!" yelled back Mai._

"_Alright, I'll preheat the oven, Becca, you grab one of my recipe books and Serenity you help her. You two can pick out what you think looks good and Mai, lock the bloody doors…and windows…and block the chimney for now," Tea turned to her crew," oh, can't forget the music!" She grabbed her remote for the stereo and Christmas Music came blasting out of it. _

_A grin spread across all their faces. Mai smiled and started singing 'Jingle Bell Rock' loudly, Tea quickly joining her, while Serenity kind of hummed it and Rebecca just stood their laughing, though somehow also singing it. It was like a worker be house, everyone was working, laughing, singing and dancing. It was incredibly funny to watch let alone be part of._

"_Tea!" laughed Rebecca as Serenity finally decided to start singing along with everyone else, "why are there only pictures and no recipes? How are we supposed to cook?"_

_Tea slid over, her socks keeping her from stopping as she braced herself to hit the table with her hands. Catching herself she looked up, "Oh, I know all my recipes by heart, that's just so no one can steal them, just pick what looks good."_

_Rebecca licked her lips as she turned the page, "That page looks really good, doesn't it Serenity?"_

_Serenity looked over from her own recipe book and licked her lips, "They do, what are they called?"_

"_Over-Night-Rolls, hey Tea, what about these Over-Night-Roll things?"_

_Tea looked over her shoulder, "That's fine, we'll start with those, you are usually supposed to let the yeast rise over night but if we start them early enough we should be fine, just write a list down."_

_Mai stepped into the room, "Everything's bolted shut, Joey doesn't stand a chance," she said while grinning._

_Serenity looked up, "Joey? What would he be doing here?"_

_Tea rolled her eyes, "About a year ago, a little bit after we met, Joey somehow figured out about my Holiday Cooking days. How I set aside one day before that holiday and get all my baking done. Well, you know Joey and his stomach, ever since then he tries every holiday to break in and steal all my food, which is part of the reason we're doing today three weeks in advance. I'll just freeze everything till Christmas."_

_Rebecca's eye's widened, "Locking the doors? The windows, the chimney? A little drastic isn't it?"_

_Mai sighed at their naivety, "No, he tried to brake down her door last Thanksgiving, and jumped threw a closed window just this last Halloween."_

_Serenity's eyes widened, she knew her brother had a one-track mind but to jump through a closed window?_

_A sudden knock was heard; it was coming from the front door. Almost in synchronized order it happened, Tea froze, Mai froze, Rebecca froze, and Serenity froze. Joey hadn't found out already had he? Tea gulped, there was no way. They had been impossibly discrete, Yami's grandfather didn't even know. Then again, he would just tell Joey…just because he was an old man didn't mean he wasn't conniving. _

_The knock was heard again, it was somewhat quiet for one of Joey's knocks. Tea gulped, it could just be a trick, or maybe something that Tristen had came up with. Once Joey had figured out he was going to need some help to outsmart Tea he had recruited Tristen and Yugi, and on rare occasions Yami's grandfather. Manipulative old man. _

_Tea looked over at her friend, motioning for Mai to check the window._

_Mai's face was shot and she mouthed the words, 'No way in hell' to Tea._

_Tea stomped her foot and growled, pointing to the window, 'Now' was what she mouthed._

_Mai glanced at the window, then back at Tea, then back at the window. Finally coming up with a conclusion she picked up a piece of paper and a pen. After a few seconds Mai held the picture up. It was a stick figure drawing of a guy, who was undoubtedly Joey, and a woman, who from the big hair and tight skirt could only be Mai. The man was in the middle of crashing through the window and tackling the woman, leaving her unconscious and on the floor in the next picture. Mai through down the paper and motioned with arms no way, and mouthed, 'not again!'._

_Tea looked at her other two comrades and picked up a newspaper and marker from a drawer. She wrote 'pick a card' on it. All four looked at each other and agreed it was the only fair route. Grabbing the deck from the drawer she shuffled the deck and spread them out on the already cluttered table. On the count of three they each picked up a random card. Mai held hers out, the Jack of spades. Serenity held hers, the nine of hearts. Rebecca was next, the three of hearts. Tea looked at her card and sighed; she had the four of diamonds. Poor Rebecca. The girl gulped and placed her card down solemnly. _

_She lost fair and square, moving over to the door she felt something soft and gentle on her shoulder. It was Tea's hand, "I'll do it," was all she said before she walked to the door. Turning back around she smiled, "You shouldn't have to deal with a lunatic on your first Holiday Cooking day."_

_Laughing, Tea turned around, the rest of the women hiding behind various objects, ready to attack should Tea be mauled or something. Swinging the door open Tea started her speech, "Joey listen, I'm trying to help the drama department today by going over their music and costumes, can you come back tomorrow?"_

"_Sure, but I didn't know we were doing a play," that voice definitely wasn't Joeys, or Tristen's, or Yugi's. _

_She opened her eyes to see Mokuba's curious gaze fixed exclusively on her, "Um, Tea, why are you dressed like a Christmas tree? Are you sure that's a costume? And why is Mai holding a book over her head behind the couch like she's ready to attack?"_

"_Mokuba!!" yelled Tea._

"_Mokuba?" asked Rebecca as she came out from behind the door._

"_Mokuba?" asked Serenity as she jumped out from a curtain, a fire poker still in hand._

_Mokuba's eyebrow went up, a perfect imitation of his brother, "Glad to see you all know who I am."_

_Tea immediately swept him up in her arms, "Oh I'm so glad it's you, I though for sure it was the mongrel, I mean friend of mine, Joey."_

_Mokuba laughed, "We really need to get you looking through the peep hole in your door."_

_Tea laughed, "Guilty as charged, I really never look through the blasted thing."_

_Mokuba stepped inside the cozy house, "So what are you doing in here?"_

_Serenity and Rebecca looked at each other, ready to shoo the nosy boy out of the house. This was a girl's only day and that was that!_

"_We're baking, you wanna join?"_

"_Tea!" yelled Serenity._

"_What are you doing? After everything we just went through to try and keep Joey out you want to **invite** a boy!" yelled Rebecca._

_Both girls looked at Mai, trying to get her on their side. Mai, who was holding the camera, looked at the two girls, and then at Tea, then at Mokuba who still had no idea what was going on. The camera started at Mokuba, "So kid, you wanna help me lock up the upstairs windows?"_

_Serenity and Rebecca fell over, "You are totally kidding me," whispered Serenity._

_They looked back up at Tea pleadingly. Tea just shrugged and pulled the still utterly confused Mokuba into her arms, "What, you going to tell me you can resist this face? Besides, Mokuba isn't a normal boy, he's a Kaiba. He won't divulge anything unless there's something to gain, and well, there isn't. Not if he's already here," she said logically._

_Rebecca looked over at the still confused Mokuba, "Ok, I guess he can stay, it might be fun seeing a boy stumble around in the kitchen."_

_Mai laughed, "Worse then you and Serenity? Highly doubtful."_

_Rebecca stuck out her tongue towards the camera._

"_Alright, but he has to help **me** pick out the recipes," she quickly lunged towards Tea and pulled Mokuba out of her loose hold, dragging him into the kitchen._

_Rebecca, finally noticing Mokuba wasn't in the room straitened, "Oh no he isn't, he's helping me!" she stomped into the kitchen._

_The camera turned to Tea; Mai's voice was the next thing that was heard, "Like, I thought the kid was helping me?" she placed the recorder onto the nearest surface table and turned around. Rolling up her sleeves and pulling out her earrings she walked into the kitchen. Tea just stood there, wondering what to do. To help, or not to help, that was the question._

_She heard a scream and what sounded like clothes being ripped, then a loud, "No, he's mine!" come from the room._

_Not to help. Definitely to not to help._

"_Aw, my little boy has suitors, he's growing up so fast. It seems just like yesterday I was teaching him that not all girls have their natural hair color. Wait, that was yesterday," laughed Tea._

"_Tea! You have to help me!" yelled Mokuba as he ran from the kitchen and into her arms, "they're going to kill me. You have to do something!"_

_Tea looked down at him, tilting her head slightly and blinked in confusion a couple of times, "Why?"_

_Another scream was heard from the kitchen, "Like I called him first!"_

_Mokuba looked back over at her, "Why? That's why, there going to rip me into shreds!"_

_Tea shook her head, "Mokuba you're a big boy now, you're going to have to learn to deal with women some day."_

"_But-but, Tea!"_

_She just laughed, "Relax I'm kidding, I'd never place you up against those three, well maybe if you were your brother but just because that would be hysterical."_

"_So you're going to help me?"_

"_Sure, why not," she sighed._

_He let out a worried laugh, "You really had me scared there for a minute…hey Tea, just out of curiosity, who would you vote for?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Between my brother and those three?"_

_Tea placed her finger on her chin, actually thinking about her response, "I think…I think it would have to be your brother."_

_Mokuba's face was shocked, "What?" he could barley get his worlds out._

"_Ya, defiantly your brother," she said again, as if reassuring herself._

_Before Mokuba could ask why Mai came running into the room, obviously looking for something, or someone. He eyes made it to Mokuba and he froze, gripping on tighter to Tea. Serenity and Rebecca were again by her side, staring strait at Mokuba. Mokuba made a whimpering noise, and with that encouragement, they charged._

_Mokuba gripped onto Tea tighter, still unsure why she wasn't moving. Opening his eye's he saw Tea just standing there smirking, he gulped. Wasn't she going to do anything? Finally, when they weren't a foot in front of her she made a stop signal with her hands. Mai was the first to crash as she tried to derail herself by hitting the couch. Serenity was the second, slipping on her socks and falling face first on the ground. Rebecca was unfortunately unable to stop and headed strait towards Tea. Hand still out, the brown haired girl stopped Rebecca as the she slid into Tea's outstretched palm, similar to an elder sibling holding off her annoying younger sister, while the younger sister clawed for the cake in the elders hands. Holding her back, Tea let go of Rebecca's forehead as the girl fell to her knees. "Mokuba's going to help me, but I'll ask him if he wants to trade off some time with one of you alright? Alright."_

_With that said Tea linked Mokuba's hand with hers and the two walked into the kitchen, leaving behind three very bruised friends all wondering how she always managed to do that._

_The day continued like that. With flour decorating the kitchen walls, sugar mashed in everyone's hair and dough currently being licked off of fingertips, life was grand. Mokuba hopped over to the last recipe book, staring at a large picture. Tea noticed this and walked over, "What's up Mokuba?" _

_He looked up at her wide-eyed, "My brother used to love carrot cake. He's really picky though because no body makes it the way he likes it, mainly because no one knows the recipe. But sometimes he finds something similar to what he says our mom used to make, but it's never quite right. At least that's what he says anyway," the poor boy's face seemed to suddenly be cased in an ever-present shadow._

_Tea looked at him solemnly. Tea could see how much Mokuba loved his brother, and she could only fathom how much it hurt the kid to see how Kaiba buried himself in his work. Tea glanced around, seeing that everyone was still occupied with whatever they were doing. Mai and Serenity were painting the sugar cookies and Rebecca was moving the camera around the room. _

_She turned back to Mokuba, "Has he ever told you what it tastes like?"_

"_Um…not really, just that it tastes sweeter then most and is really, really moist. I think he also said it had a honey flavor in it too," he answered back, not even thinking about why she was asking._

"_What does the frosting taste like?" she asked again._

"_I don't know, why?" he asked, finally realizing she was asking about his brother._

_Tea reached over and grabbed her phone, "Call him and ask."_

"_What? But Tea he's at work, and he's working, and I'm sure he doesn't want to talk about it anyways, and did I say he's at work?" he pleaded._

_Tea placed the phone into his hand along with a piece of paper and pen, "Though it has been a while since I made it, I have an old recipe that sounds familiar to what you described but…it probably wouldn't be close enough for **your** brother, so ask him some more about it. I can't alter it at all if I don't know what to change now can I?"_

_With that Tea stood up and walked away, leaving Mokuba alone to dial his brothers number. Mokuba looked at the phone, then at the piece of paper in front of him, and finally at the pen by his side. Should he? Could he?_

"_Tea, I think we have a problem!" yelled a voice._

_But the camera's direction was changed before any decision could be seen. Soon what was shown was the door, then the window, then a glance through the window. _

_It was snowing. _

_What's more, standing in the middle of the snow, banging on the door was Joey in all his mighty glory. "Oh crap," said Mai as she too looked out the window._

"_Maybe he'll go away," whispered Rebecca._

_Tea sneered, "Ya, as soon as Kaiba manages to get a muzzle on him."_

"_Ya'll open up, I know you are baking. I can smell it all the way out here!" he yelled, "Don't make me call for reinforcements, cause we can do this the easy way or the hard way!"_

"_Maybe we could call the police or something, he is trespassing after all," Tea said quietly._

_Mai sneered this time, "Please, as soon as Joey convinces them to take a bite out of your angel/strawberry-shortcake we'd be even worse off."_

"_Well you got a better idea?" she asked, pulling the curtains closed as Joey looked towards the window._

_Serenity looked around, "Maybe we could just give him some?"_

_Mai and Tea just looked at her and blinked rapidly in confusion, "Excuse me?"_

_Rebecca looked at the two women before her, "Why not, that sounds like a good idea to me."_

_Mai smacked her head while Tea just shook hers, "And it only sounds like a good idea because you've never taken Psychology. It's called reinforcement, give them something once and they expect it every time. Soon he would tell Tristen, who would tell Yugi, who would tell his grandfather who would tell everyone who walked into his shop. Need I go on?"_

_Mai supported her, "Besides, he'd be winning if we gave in."_

"_So what do we do?" asked Serenity._

_Suddenly Mokuba was behind them, looking through the window as well, "Hey, what's going on? Hey look, Joey's here, why haven't you let him in?" Mokuba jumped off the couch and headed towards the door, ready to open the wooden barrier._

"_No!" yelled all four girls as they lunged for Mokuba, the camera dropping somewhere on the ground._

_Tea was the one that managed the capture as she held onto his ankles, "Do not open that door Mokuba, we have to develop a plan first."_

_Mokuba was utterly confused, had Tea just tackled him? "But why?"_

_Tea looked around the room as soon as Mai picked up the camera. "Mai, hide, somewhere, anywhere. Serenity run upstairs and don't make a sound. Rebecca, go into the kitchen and get that batch of cookies you and Serenity made by yourselves…the one's where you forgot to put the sugar in, but don't come out till I call you."_

_Tea turned around and reached into the coat closet, pulling out a white robe she wrapped it around herself, while pulling off her Santa hat. Scanning the room once more she stared at Mai, "Mai, I can still see you!"_

_Turning back around she faced Mokuba, "Alright, don't say anything. Just smile and nod, unless he asks you something directly, but don't say a word about what we're doing."_

_With that she opened the door and sidestepped, letting Joey fall flat on his face, "Hello Joey."_

_He quickly stood up, "Where's the food?"_

_Tea grabbed his arm before he managed to get any further than the doorway, "What food?"_

"_You're baking," he said while trying to step around her._

_She once again was in his way, "No I'm not, oh…I get it, you think I'm having one of my baking days today right?"_

"_Only because you are," he said triumphantly._

"_Really? You sure about that?" Tea pulled Mokuba out from behind the doorway, Mokuba just smiled like he was told to do._

"_Wh-what's he doin' here? You said no guys allowed!"_

"_Only on my Holiday Baking days," she answered smoothly._

_Joey looked around confused, the curtain quickly covered the camera lens as he looked towards Mai, then his voice was heard again and she refocused the recorder, moving the curtain, "Why do you have socks like that on?"_

_Tea looked down at her feet, "Laundry day."_

"_And that smell?" asked Joey just as fast._

"_I'm helping Rebecca learn how to bake for a boy she likes, apparently everyone likes him and she has to get the upper hand some how," she said casually, "hey, you want to try one of her batches?"_

"_Handmade cookies? Course I do!" _

_Tea turned and yelled towards the kitchen, "Hey Rebecca, can you bring your latest batch in?"_

_Joey looked at her, "Latest?"_

"_Ya, she's had a bit of trouble, I actually haven't had the nerve to taste them yet. It's a good thing you've got a resilient stomach right?"_

"_I don-" but he was cut off by Rebecca._

"_Here they are," she handed Joey one, but being Joey he took one right away, completely disregarding Tea's earlier warning, he froze mid chew desperalty trying not to hurl._

"_Oh look he likes them, that's good because I have like three other batches for you to try, I'll go get them, though you might want to be careful with the second batch, I dropped a huge egg shell in there," she turned around and bounded of to the kitchen._

_Tea clapped her hands together, "I'm so glad we have a taste tester now, I thought for sure I was going to have to brave it."_

_Joey looked at her, then at Mokuba, then at the tray of leftover cookies, then finally at the door, "Actually, I promised Yugi I'd help him out at the shop today…I uh, gotta go. I'll be busy all day too, so don't call me," and with that their troubles were gone, strait through the door and currently running down the street._

_Tea and Mokuba immediately started laughing, Mai joining not seconds after. Rebecca walked through the door while holding her sides as Serenity almost fell down the stairs. It was to perfect. "Alright everyone, back into the kitchen, we have work to do," said Tea while rubbing her sides._

_It wasn't till everyone left that the smile from her face faltered. Tea turned around, her eye's showing her once hidden fear as she looked out the window towards the falling snow. It was coming down harder now. She just stood there, watching it fall, seemingly to afraid to look away._

"_Tea?" called Mokuba's voice, "are you coming?"_

_Shaking her head she whipped her eyes to make sure no tears came out without her knowing, and she headed back into the kitchen, Mai, alongside with her camera, running back in before Tea saw._

_Once they were there Tea noticed the small piece of paper she had given Mokuba, it had writing on it. Mokuba had built up the courage to call his brother and ask about their mom. He really was growing up. Picking up the piece of paper she read the scribbled notes to herself. Mokuba walked up to her, "So, will it work, he didn't really want to talk about it much."_

_Tea smiled, "Ya, my recipe is similar, I think I can figure it out from these, but I'll defiantly need your help k?" _

_He shook his head, happy to oblige._

"_But…I might need one more," turning around she grabbed Rebecca's hand and pulled her towards them, "You wouldn't mind helping us out would you?"_

_Rebecca smiled, "With what?"_

"_A present," was all Tea said as she winked at Mokuba, "So preheat the oven to 400 degrees for me and I'll grab the recipe," and with that she turned around and headed out of the kitchen._

_Soon she was back with a small dark green metal box in her hands, clutched protectively. "What's in the box Tea?" asked Mokuba._

_She reached out and opened the small tin container, "It's my favorite recipes, the ones I promised myself I'd only show to family," reaching in she scanned the few recipes that were in there, pulling out a tattered note card filled back to front._

_Mokuba's eye's widened, "But Tea, Rebecca and I don't really have family's, let alone y-" but Tea stopped him with her finger on his lips._

"_You two are the best family I could ever wish for," and with that, she placed the note card on the counter and turned to pick out a few bowls._

_Mokuba's eye's watered, but he didn't cry, even though he wanted to. Rebecca on the other hand held nothing back, as the tears flowed freely. Her parents both had died and all she had left was her grandfather who she knew wasn't in perfect condition, to have Tea say she considered her family was just…perfect. Without another thought Rebecca turned around and grabbed Tea from behind, hugging her with all her might, never planning on letting go._

_Tea relaxed a bit as she felt the hug, turning she looked at Mokuba who slowly walked over to her, looking at her strait in the eyes. She reached out a hand and ruffled up his hair in a loving, almost motherly way. He lunged at her too, arms wide open, "Thank you Tea," was the only thing he whispered._

_Tea smiled and slowly pulled the two crying children from her waist, "Come on, we have a cake to make."_

_The rest of the film showed four happy girls as they smiled, laughed, and threw things and each other, and one very, very happy little boy._

Seto stared at the screen utterly shocked. Tea…she considered Mokuba a family member? She looked after him, fed him and treated him as if the boy was her own. She loved him so much, as much as he loved him. She truly did.

He had never seen this side of her before…no, that was a lie. He had, he just chose to ignore it, or pretend that it was some way to get under his skin. No, it was truly part of who she was. Loving, kind, compassionate and everything he always wanted Mokuba to have, everything he had always wanted to have.

Seto looked down at the boy in his arms. Mokuba had fallen asleep some time ago but Seto had kept watching. He couldn't stop, he didn't want to stop.

Seto slowly undid his covers and placed Mokuba under his comforter. Seto slid under them too, just now realizing not only Tea's effect on Mokuba…but also on himself.

Sliding into the sheets Seto closed his eyes, but was woken by a small meow. Smiling, he reached down and scooped Trisket into his palm, hauling him up onto the bed. Apparently he had grown a soft spot for strays. Placing the small creature on his chest, Trisket's favorite spot, Seto closed his eyes once more. Strangely enough, his day seemed to be a whole lot better.

* * *

**Firevixen73**- I'm back! So sorry that took so long but school has been horrible! I haven't had the chance to do anything, and now finals are coming up! My first year of college finals, let's just hope I don't die, cause if I do, I wont be able to finish the story and then you guys would never know what would happen. So I hope everyone liked it, sorry again for the long wait and please review. The keep me sane, and a sane writer always better then a non-sane one. 

Please Review! I need you all to tell me what you like and what I should maybe change, you all are the best! Thank you so much!


	15. Siblings at Heart

Firevixen73- I know it has been a really long time, so thank you for sticking with me. Just in case, because it has been so long, I'm going to do a quick recap of last chapter.

Back in the past Ravn asks if Tea could help show him around the castle, Mekubo gets defensive and cuts in. Mekubo and Tea get in a fight with Seth, specifically Mekubo with Seth. Tea and Mekubo go out for a ride and talk, while Yami and the others are out as well. They bump into each other and Tea and Yami get in another fight. Tea transports herself somewhere else and Yami heads back to find her.

In present time Seto and Mokuba are watching another video of Tea. They are preparing for Christmas and baking all of their treats. Mokuba shows up and is somehow recruited to join them. Mokuba tells her about the Carrot Cake his brother likes. Tea asks Mokuba to call him and ask him more about it while she goes outside and deals with Joey. Tea, Mokuba and Rebecca all begin to make the cake, but not before Tea tells the two orphans that they are her family. Seto turns off the tape, and falls asleep alongside Mokuba and Trisket.

* * *

Yami ran up the flights of stairs, not caring how many servants he ran into. He was wrong, he knew that now. He was wrong to try to attack Anzu, to force her to follow things she didn't believe. He was wrong to accuse her of treachery, of undermining his status. He needed to find her, he needed to find her and tell her just how wrong he had been. 

Turning the familiar corner he stopped in front of Anzu's stone door. Usually it took magic to open it, but the task was already partially done, for it was already slightly cracked, leavening an opening. Gathering the courage within himself Yami decided to let his presence be known. With a mere thought the door opened all the way, "Anzu I want to talk-" but he was cut off by deafening silence.

Anzu wasn't in the room. He walked over to the middle of her floor and glanced around. There everything stood in silence, almost mocking him. Why wasn't she there? She had no other place to go, her room was her sanctuary. Carefully he walked over to her balcony, but before reaching the edge he stopped. Anzu loved her balcony. She loved sitting here, watching the world work its magic. With the sun rising and setting, people running about below her. They used to sit here together, just talking. When was the last time he had sat down and just talked with her? He had been so busy, with the war, running Egypt, listening to different Generals, trying to create peace treaties. He had been so busy listening to others he had forgotten about the one person whose advice had never failed him.

Yami took a few more steps and leaned over the balcony just slightly. Where was she now?

* * *

Seth was desperately trying to keep himself in check. He, the legendary High Priest, with self-control and stoicism that had any king asking for his secrets, was finding it extremely difficult not to hurt the man in front of him. Damn, what was going on in the world? Mekubo was _still_ mad at him, and he _still_ had no idea why. Oh, and Anzu is missing again. Freakin world was determined to screw him over all at once; I mean really, the whole cosmos where against him. 

Just once he wanted to have a day that was quiet and relaxing. Why the hell him?

"High Priest, is Lady Anzu in her quarters today?" asked a new voice.

Seth looked up to see Ravn's face looking directly at him. He didn't like it. He had always been proud of his height, mainly because it proved his superiority. He could look down on people like the gods had intended. Unfortunately the man was tall, tall enough to be eye to eye with him, something that he wasn't used to. It was something he didn't want to get used to. It was disturbing how the man didn't even flinch, didn't even cower when in Seth's presence. Just another thing to ruin his day.

Seth suppressed a growl, by not backing down the man was intruding on his territory, and intruders were never welcomed in his book, "No."

Seth looked back over at his documents, dismissing the almost conversation, but Ravn pressed him further, as did his uncle, "Damn wench, I knew she was weak," huffed General Akito.

Ravn dismissed his uncle, "When will she be back in her room High Priest?" came his smooth voice.

Seth's eye twitched, the man was pressing his limits, "I don't know, I'm not her keeper."

Ravn continued, "Surely you must know, you run the majority of the palace in at least one way or another."

Seth debated having the man thrown out of the temple, just for the fun of it. It had been a while since he had managed to have a good form of entertainment. The last time was…ok it was a couple of days ago, but Anzu really shouldn't be counted as entertainment, more of a sideshow. Yes, that was it; she was a sideshow, one that happened to follow him around everywhere he went. Seth looked up at the General and his nephew, no, he had to be hospitable, this was one of their generals, "I will say it again, I am not her keeper. Anzu does as she pleases, if she does not want to be found, she will more than likely not be found. I have more important matters to deal with than her temper. Now, if you have anything of relevance to add to this discussion then speak up, but if you do not, which is obviously true, then leave my presence immediately. Just as I have no time for Lady Anzu's actions, nor do I want to deal with your yours."

Seth turned around, leaving no openings for the discussion, and grabbed a scroll, which he had already read twice now. It was the principle of the matter; no body stands up to him and gets away with it.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as the General and Ravn left, each with newfound anger. As soon as their loud and hate filled footsteps were gone Seth smirked, finally allowing himself to relax. Placing the scroll down, and gloating to himself about his win over the blond man, Seth walked over to the nearest opening, which was his window on the other side of the room. He looked past the guards and towards the town.

Seth took in a deep breath of fresh air, the temple did tend to get stifling and it was nice to have a breather. Not that anyone outside his family would know that, hell, he wasn't sure if even Mekubo knew that. To show others compassion would be to show weakness, to show others humility would be to show an opening for attack. He was not about to show any form of humanity to others, it would just give them an incentive to fight. He was to busy contemplating the whole idea of humanity to hear the footsteps leading up to him.

"Seth, I need your advice," came a commanding tone from behind him.

The High Priest immediately tensed, placing on his cold and impenetrable mask of indifference and loathing once again, "Well that is your problem Pharaoh, I'm busy."

Yami easily bypassed Seth's statement, he wasn't up for their normal bickering right now, "I need you to help me find Anzu, it has been almost two days and still I have no leads. I am the damn Pharaoh of Egypt, I should be able to keep reign on my own subjects," he said with a growl.

Seth raised an eyebrow, "Yes, because Anzu has always done what people tell her to."

Yami growled again, "You know, you could at least pretend to give a damn Seth. Whether you want to admit it or not, Anzu is as much a part of your life as she is mine. You aren't at all worried about her disappearance? What if she pulls another solitary spell? Don't tell me you haven't considered this."

Seth smirked, "Of course I have, and I have come to the obvious conclusion that a solitary spell is in no way possible in this situation. One, Alec is not currently playing mind games with her, two, she's not afraid, just pissed, mainly at you. I have to say, it is a nice change of pace not to be the one on the receiving end of her attacks and more importantly, having the opportunity to watch as you fumble around helplessly in the dark. The same darkness that I tamed years ago. All those years that I tried to beat you, and all I had to do in order to find my victory was make that woman mad at you. This is, in my opinion, a very thing."

"Anzu is not one to be tamed Seth, as you previously pointed out. Just because you know a few tricks when it comes to handling her does not mean, on any level, that you have tamed her. Anzu is far from _tamed_. You fumble as much as the rest of us. Now, I am not kidding Seth, where is she?" yelled Yami.

Seth wasn't sure whether to smirk or not. On one hand he was riling up Yami fairly easily, which was always a good sign, but on the other, everyone was presuming that he knew where Anzu was. Why was everyone coming to that conclusion? Shouldn't they be asking his brother? But no, they all came to him. _How_ did they expect him to know? _Why_ did they expect him to know? Seth finally settled on a frown, "Why the hell does everyone think I know where she is?"

"Because you two, although neither would admit it, are a pair. A bickering one, but a pair nonetheless," answered Yami, finally calming down.

Seth was about to argue Yami's point when the sudden truth hit him…they were a pair. In a strange, twisted sort of way, Anzu and him fit. Yes, they were always at each other's throats and had nothing in common, aside from Mekubo, which by the way he had way more sway in, but somehow, they worked together. But…why…why wasn't this notion bothering him?

"Seth, how_ would you_ find her?" asked Yami quietly.

Seth turned his head and stared at Yami for a few seconds. How would he find her? That was it! That was what everyone was really asking. They weren't asking where she was, they were asking how to find her, how _he_ would find her. That was the point everyone had been trying to get to him all day. Seth placed a hand on the nearest stone alter, the other appendage reaching up to his eyes, rubbing them gently. How _would_ he find her? She wasn't in her room and she wasn't in the gardens. Was Anzu in the town? He quickly glanced out the window, which he had previously been staring through. No, she wasn't in the town, he didn't know why he knew, but he did. Seth once again looked towards Yami, "Have you talked to my brother?"

It was Yami's turn to lift his eyebrow, "Have you talked to your brother?"

Seth's eyes snapped wider in accusation, "What is that supposed to mean Yami?"

"Exactly what it sounds like, have you talked to him over the past couple of days? Mekubo is ecstatic about Anzu's disappearance, which of course means he knows where she is, but he isn't budging," answered Yami with a slight grin.

"Why would he be happy over her disappearing?" asked Seth to himself.

Yami smiled, then finally as the realization of the conversation hit him, laughed, "You still haven't figured it out yet have you?"

Seth glared, not happy about where this discussion was going. Hadn't figured what out? There was nothing he couldn't decode, nothing he couldn't beat.

Yami shook his head, as his smile only grew bigger. Ignoring the High Priest's glare Yami took a few steps across the large room and leaned against the alter along side Seth, "You still haven't figured out why he is mad at you. Seth, I swear it, you are brilliant at most things, all except the things that matter in life. He is mad at you because he doesn't like the thought of Anzu being with anyone aside from his older brother. In his mind, even though both you and Anzu are constantly on the verge of killing each other, you two are his. You two belong to each other. Ravn quite openly tried to break the two of you apart, and what's more, you left Anzu to stand alone. You didn't come to her rescue like you were supposed to. I mean really, the fair maiden, although strong, is not supposed to fight certain battles. That is the job of the warrior. You didn't fight Seth, that is why Mekubo is angry with you, and that is why he is happy about my fight with Anzu. Yes, she may not be here for him, but she is away from Ravn."

Seth stood up, disbelief clearly written across his face, "That is irrational. Mekubo knows Anzu and I don't get along, and he would never be mad at me for something so foolish."

Yami smiled, "Think about it Seth. No one has ever made a direct move on Anzu, at least not in front of him or you, and especially not one she herself didn't shoot down. Like I said earlier, you two fit together, maybe not in any other form besides bickering, but even you cannot deny how well the pieces match. Mekubo sees this as well; you two are his protectors Seth. There is no denying that, and can you really blame the kid for wanting the two people he loves most to be together? All he wants is for you to protect her like you protect him. You didn't do your job Seth, and Mekubo is having a hard time comprehending why."

Seth just stared at Yami; he didn't have anything to say. There wasn't anything to say, what do you say to a statement like that?

"Pharaoh Yami, a servant said you wanted to speak with me?" and in stepped a world of problems.

Seth turned his head to see Mekubo biting into an apple while happily staring on ahead. Even while chewing Mekubo looked to be smiling. Was Yami telling the truth? Mekubo showed no signs of fatigue or fear, no, he was amazingly happy if anything at all.

Yami cleared his throat, "You will tell me where Anzu is Mekubo, I need to talk to her. We cannot play this game anymore. Your brother and I have talked about this and we have decided to end it now."

Mekubo continued chewing, then stopped suddenly. He looked over at Seth, "Talked huh? And my brother wants Anzu to come back?"

Yami walked forward, "That isn't what this discussion is about Mekubo."

Mekubo suddenly lost his brilliance and Yami was, for the first time, on the receiving end of the boy's glare, "That is what you implied and I want my question answered."

Yami wasn't sure what to do, the boy was being stern, it was something he had never witnessed before. He looked over at Seth and resisted rolling his eyes. He seriously doubted his High Priest would be able to do anything in his current mental condition. Really, how were any words supposed to make it out of his mouth while it was agape like a fish? He turned back towards Mekubo, "This isn't the time-"

"Make him say it," Mekubo's attention was still directed towards his brother, "If he really said that then he'll say it again, I want to hear him say it," Mekubo stepped forward, closer to Seth, "I want to hear you say it big brother."

Seth was desperately trying to gain back his bearings. Not only was Yami's little speech banging through out his head but now Mekubo was proving the Pharaoh's previous accusations. After a few seconds of silence Seth blinked a couple of times and took a deep breath in. Finally gaining some of his senses back Seth straitened his posture, "What good, little brother, would me making a statement like that do?"

Mekubo clutched his apple harder, "Then you didn't say it?"

"For one so adamant about others answering your questions, you aren't doing a very good job of it yourself," Seth stared down his younger sibling.

Mekubo too looked at his brother, the two seemed locked in a death stare and Yami wasn't sure who would win. He had never seen Mekubo act like this; then again, Seth had never spoken to his brother so harshly. His original thoughts on Seth giving his brother whatever he wanted flew out the window as soon as Seth took his long breath in, no, his High Priest was prepared for battle.

Mekubo was the first to look away, quickly glancing out the window, not looking at anything in particular. Without looking at anyone in the room Mekubo turned around and headed for the entrance, but stopped before turning the corner, "It wouldn't do anything big brother, it would just make me happy to hear, that's all."

And with that said, the black haired boy left through the entrance.

* * *

Captain of the Guard Jyo wasn't too happy. He was losing, he was losing badly, and it wasn't even to Seth. What a horrible day. 

"It seems I have beaten you again Lord Jyo," came the smooth and elegant voice of Ravn.

Jyo looked at the board once again, how had he been beaten? This was impossible, the only person who beats him is Seth, and this guy was no Seth. He didn't have the cocky attitude or the constant come backs…so why again didn't he like this man? For the life of him he could figure out the reason. Yami liked him, Tori liked him, even Harpy was ok around him…so why was he so one edge?

By all normal means he should. The guy didn't like Seth, which was always a deal breaker, and he was nothing but polite. Damn, he really just didn't like the guy. Fuck, he finally meets the opposite of Seth and he can't stand the man, something was wrong in the world.

Jyo looked over at the mock battlefield, "Looks like you did."

Ravn smiled, his gold hair swaying in the slight breeze, "Would you like to try again Lord Jyo?"

Jyo looked at Lord Ravn once again. He had the sudden urge to hit something and he had no clue why. This man just ticked him off, but had oddly enough done nothing to instigate Jyo's hatred, "No, I'm set, I better get back to work anyways," he said gruffly.

Jyo turned around in an attempt to head for the door but Lord Ravn caught up with him all to quickly. Jyo suppressed a twitch in his forehead and forced a smile, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, is Lord Tori around? He wanted me to look over some of the inventory with him, but I do not know where he is," answered Ravn.

Jyo stopped in his tracks, what the hell? Tori was letting a complete stranger look at all of Egypt's financial records? Tori was usually so stingy about anything to do with the countries financial aspects, "Lord Tori wants you to help him?"

Ravn gave an almost innocent look, "Yes, my Uncle had explained to him that I am rather proficient at math, Lord Tori asked for my input not a mere minute after. Why do you ask?"

Jyo started walking again, quickening his pace, unfortunately Ravn was right beside him. Jyo suppressed a grimace, "No reason, I don't know where Lord Tori is, but you'll have to excuse me, I have some rather urgent business to attend too."

Jyo tried to hurry around the corner but Ravn's voice stopped him, "One more thing Lord Jyo, you wouldn't happen to know where Lady Anzu is would you?"

Anzu? Jyo froze mid stride. Why did he want to know where Anzu was? Did he…like Anzu? The _fucking bastard_! No wonder he didn't like this guy! Nobody goes near his little sister! Ok, maybe they weren't blood related but that was an entirely different matter. No body touches his baby sister! Suddenly the conversation he had heard some maids talking about made sense. Something about Mekubo really not liking Ravn for some reason. It clicked, _the guy made a pass at his sister_! Jyo swung around on the heals of his feet, desperately trying to keep his anger in check, " I don't know where she is."

Jyo once again turned, heading off down the hall. He prayed to the guardian clan members that he ran into Seth or Tori sometime soon, he needed a good yell. He needed a good yell badly.

* * *

"Believe me now?" asked the incredibly annoying Pharaoh. 

Seth growled out loud, "Shut up. The last thing I want to hear right now is your pathetic voice."

Seth turned around to sit in his desk but was stopped by yet another voice, god he could feel a headache coming on.

"Fucking bastard, where the hell is Tori!" yelled Jyo as he stepped into the room.

Yami and Seth both looked up, "Are you looking for Tori, Jyo?" asked Yami.

Jyo walked further into the room, anger clearly in his stride, "Tori or Seth, I really don't care which one, as long as I get to yell at someone."

Yami quirked his head as Jyo headed strait for his High Priest, "Is there a particular reason why you feel the need to yell?"

Jyo stopped in his tracks and looked angrily at Yami, his former friend, "I take it back, I think I'll yell at you."

Yami's face dropped, "What? Why do you want to yell at me?"

Jyo growled loudly, an act which he normally would have avoided because of Seth's usual comments about Jyo's bloodline, but Jyo really didn't care at the moment, he just wanted to yell at someone, "Because, you're the Pharaoh that let that bastard come here in the first place! How dare you let that thing within an oasis of Anzu!"

Yami was still utterly confused, "Excuse me?"

Jyo started pacing, "You heard me! I mean really, you are the freaking Pharaoh, you are supposed to see these things coming! You are supposed to prevent disasters like this from happening! Who do you think you are, inviting that mongrel here? I want him out of Egypt right now! You here me Yami!"

Seth suppressed the bubbling comment in his throat about Jyo's mongrel speech by clearing his throat. It wasn't everyday the scene before him was played out. I mean, he had no idea what had riled Jyo up so badly but for the moment, he would take what he could get.

Yami on the other hand, could not figure out for the life of him what Jyo was ranting on and on about, he had never seen Jyo this riled up before. In fact, Jyo had never actually yelled at him before, "Jyo, what in the afterlife are you talking about?"

Jyo stopped his pacing and looked at Yami, "I'm talking about Lord Ravn!"

"Lord…Ravn?" asked Yami.

Seth looked back and forth between the two…this was a very chaotic day. Seth did not like chaotic, he liked order, scheduling, and precise timing. This Lord Ravn was really throwing off his schedule; he liked the man less and less with each passing second.

"Hey, so this is where everyone is. I've been looking everywhere for you guys," said a very oblivious Lord Tori as he walked through the doorway. He paused as he individually looked at everyone's faces. Yami looked worn out and confused, Seth, oddly enough seemed disheveled and Jyo, Jyo's look was slightly scary. He looked angry and was holding a predatory gleam in his eyes, "Is everything ok in here?"

Jyo's fists clenched, "You are a freaking moron! What do you think you are doing letting Lord Ravn look at our bookings?"

"What? But-" started Tori but Seth cut him off.

"You what? Please tell me you are not that stupid, I cannot handle much more stupidity today," said Seth as he was rubbing his temples.

Yami spoke up, "What is wrong with Lord Ravn looking at our financial records? He is a mathematical genius and we are in the middle of a war. We need all the help we can get. Tori is already stressed with the budget as it is, maybe Lord Ravn can help."

Tori nodded his head in agreement, "That is exactly why I asked him."

Jyo was furious, "We don't even know him, and I _really_ don't like the guy. I don't trust him, especially when it comes to something as serious as Egypt's financial well-being Tori. I know that is your expertise, and I'm not exactly good with the whole math thing, but that is just a plain stupid idea!"

Seth argued as well, "For once the mutt and I agree, I trust this Ravn as much as he does."

Yami turned to look at the two who were usually at each other's throats, "I trust Ravn with my life, he has done nothing but help our country. We need as much support as possible to fight the remaining Guardian brothers, do not forget who the real enemy is here."

Seth and Jyo both immediately stopped their talking, neither looking at anything in particular. That's right, Alec and Dorin were the real enemy, not Ravn. The last thing they needed right now was division among themselves.

Jyo turned and looked Yami in the eye. It was true, they needed as much help as they could get. Ravn had done nothing but help them in their time of need, but still…he couldn't stand the guy. Call it a gut feeling or whatever, but he just couldn't like him no matter how hard he tried. Maybe it had something to do with Ravn obviously liking Anzu.

It probably was just his older brother protective instincts coming out. Sure he had his real sister but she was always gone, and when she was here there wasn't much they could connect over. But Anzu, he had always held a special relationship with Anzu. Some times he wondered if their bond was stronger than the one he had formed with Yami all those years ago. The idea of losing her to someone, of her not being there whenever he needed her, frightened him. Ravn would take her away. The guy was good with women, that was obvious. He was exactly the kind of man Anzu deserved, the kind of man she could fall for. He had known it from the first moment he had met Ravn, he just didn't want to admit it. He knew that now. But would she go? He didn't want Ravn to take Anzu, and with the revelation that Ravn already liked Anzu, his instincts went over board. No one was going to take her away from her family.

He knew then and there that he would never like Ravn, no matter what. And as much as he didn't agree with Ravn having an input in their financial well-being, he would just have to put up with it, but that didn't mean he was going to like it. With that thought Jyo dropped his gaze and headed out the doorway, "Whatever," was all he said as he disappeared from view.

Seth was also having his own revelations. He didn't like Ravn, that was obvious. The man undermined his authority, questioned him beyond reason, annoyed him to the point where Anzu looked like a goddess and most importantly, the man created chaos in his life. No, Seth did not like Ravn…but why was he treating him like the enemy? Ravn was not the enemy of Egypt, Alec and Dorin were.

Seth looked up just as Jyo walked out the door, obviously still angry. He needed to solve this; he needed his life back in order. And unfortunately there was only one person he knew who stood a chance of fixing everything…Anzu.

* * *

Yami and Seth both stood outside, watching the figure sitting in the shade. He couldn't believe he was doing this. Really, of all the things he was forced to do in his life this was on his top ten hardest. 

"You really going to be able to do this?" asked Yami.

Seth normally would have scoffed at the idea of failing at something, but this was different. He very well could fail, "Let's just get this over with."

The two, even in stride, walked up to the small figure. Yami was the first to speak, "Mekubo, your brother has something he wishes to say."

Mekubo, previously cloud watching, changed his direction towards the approaching men, so he could face them properly, "Umm…ok."

Seth cleared his throat, he could do this. He had to be able to do this, " I…I want," he stopped himself from continuing on. Why was this so hard? Then it hit him like a boulder; he knew why it was so hard. He would finally have to admit it to himself; he would finally have to acknowledge that he…missed her. That he actually liked having her around. She wasn't just tolerated, she was…appreciated. Could he really say it? Could he really admit such a thing not only to himself but to both Yami and Mekubo?

"I want Anzu back Mekubo," the words fluidly, and with out any consent, left his mouth before his mind could dwell on it further.

Mekubo's eye's widened as his breath hitched in his throat, "What?"

"Mekubo, it was hard enough the first time," answered Seth. No, saying it wasn't hard, admitting it to himself was.

Mekubo straitened his posture and looked at his brother square in the eyes, "Are you lying? Are you lying just so I'll tell Yami where she is?"

"I have never lied to you Mekubo, and I never will," was Seth's answer.

Mekubo looked over at Yami for confirmation but quickly turned his head back towards his brother, "…I don't know where she is."

Yami almost lost his balance, "W-What? How could you not know where she is?"

Mekubo uncrossed his legs and looked back up at the sky, and the occasional cloud, "I don't know where she is. I know that she is at her sanctuary…but I don't know its location. There is only one other person besides Anzu who knows where it is, and that's not me."

Seth stayed quiet for a while, thinking about this new bout of information before pursuing the matter further. Then finally, Seth asked his younger sibling the one question that could possible solve their current missing persons problem, he was just hoping for an answer at this point, "Mekubo, who is that other person?"

Mekubo just continued to look up at the sky as his brother and Pharaoh scrutinized him intently. Yami spoke this time, "Mekubo who is this other person?"

Mekubo just continued to look up at the sky. Seth, finally getting angry at Mekubo's obvious refusal to answer the question decided to look up as well, determined to find out what Mekubo was finding so obviously interesting. Once he did, his questions were solved in an instant. Mekubo hadn't been cloud watching all this time. Up, flying at least sixty feet in the air was the legendary Harpy Lady.

* * *

Seto once again found himself in the flower shop. Ok, it wasn't a flower shop but he had unofficially named the place that. Really, it had been slightly over two weeks and the place was, instead of losing gifts, seemed to be gaining more. How in the world was Tea this popular? Gift after gift, vase after vase, there wasn't an end in sight. 

Seto looked over at his brother once again. Mokuba was holding Tea's delicate hands in his much smaller pair. This time he was telling Tea about how some kid pushed him in the street today and his big brother almost sued the entire family. Seto almost found himself laughing at that particular memory.

But quite honestly, he didn't know how Tea did it. Day after day she must have listened to his brother, and Mokuba could talk. He didn't know Mokuba knew so many words. Seto almost felt bad for her, how even in her coma she was being forced to listen. He almost had to admire her for it.

Almost, but not quite.

It was odd, how he found himself wanting to know everything about her. He couldn't stand the woman before, but now, now was different. Now he knew her, and getting to know her had never been an option before. It had never been a possibility. Seto had to wonder how things would have turned out if she never would have fallen into her coma. Would Mokuba eventually run away? Would he have ended up hating Seto? Would he have still thought of Tea with loathing instead of curiosity?

Curiosity…that was something rather new to him. He hadn't felt it in a while and it was refreshing. Though, thinking back on it, Tea had always been rather refreshing in his day. Yes, she was annoying, defiant and possibly everything he could never fathom being able to stand, but she was still invigorating nonetheless.

Furthermore, he had gained more then he had ever expected through this ordeal. He had learned of Tea's humiliating defeat over Gozaburo, managed to temporarily solve the usual business fiasco between his companies various industrial managers, embarrass the hell out of Mai, who was previously believed to be incapable of embarrassment and seal a deal with Mikado Corporations. It was odd how this all came about through the one person in Domino he thought he hated.

He wasn't entirely sure what to think about Tea now, he had learned so much. No, he did not like her by any means, but he…respected her. Yes, he respected her, and a Kaiba's respect was not easy to come by.

"Big brother?" Seto turned to face Mokuba's voice, "You can talk to her too you know."

Seto shook his head, "The last thing I want to do is forfeit my peace and quiet back over to her. Just because I let you come here does not mean Gardner and I are on any terms other than the ones we were previously on Mokuba. I think you should remember that."

"Right big brother," was all he said before he turned back towards Tea, but before the boy could get two words out he was interrupted.

"Never pictured you'd be here moneybags."

Seto turned around to see none other than Joey standing in the doorway. For a second Seto wasn't sure what to say, his first instinct was to comment on Joey's obvious appearance. The mutt's shirt was wrinkled and dirty, with various stains as the pattern, instead of the original solid blue it was supposed to be. His hair couldn't have been rattier and it was obvious he hadn't slept, but before the words could make it out of his mouth Seto caught himself.

Mokuba looked the same way just a few days ago.

Seto watched as Joey's eye's headed strait for Tea's twin sized bed. They lingered there for a few minutes before he said anything, "This is the first time I've have the courage to come here."

Mokuba slowly sat up from his chair, "Then you can have my spot."

Joey shook his head and pushed the kid back into his seat, "No, you have it. I'll stand, I'm afraid if I sit down I wont be gettin' back up."

Joey walked over to the other side and cautiously looked at the patient's hand. Slowly he slipped his own ruff and calloused fingers over Tea's and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. Seto, much to his own surprise, was the one that spoke first. It wasn't a smart remark, or even a comment about Joey's distress, but instead it was a sincere question, "How close were you to her?"

Joey smiled. A real smile. Seto had never seen Joey smile before; usually they were to busy arguing or throwing insults. It was odd to watch. Slightly opening his eye's Joey just looked at Tea's face. She looked so peaceful, like an angel taking a nap on her favorite cloud, "Tea and I were as close as brother and sista. I consider her more of a family member then I ever have my own blood relatives. I remember we would sit for hours and talk about absolutely nothing, no matter her own schedule. I mean, we had being siblings down to…down to whatever's beyond perfect. Sure, we argued and messed with each other like none other, but we were always there for the other."

Mokuba spoke this time, "Did you know about me?"

"Yes and no. No, Tea never verbally told me, but it was just one of those things kid. She didn't have ta tell me for me ta figure it out, and we didn't need ta talk about it. She knew I knew and that was it, nothin else to it," said Joey without a stutter.

"Why didn't you ever use it against me if you knew?" asked Seto.

"Cause I ain't that low. There are some things ya just don't touch, family bein at the top of that list." Joey brushed some of Tea's hair out of her face, "I think the only person she actual told was Mai. Damn, sometimes I forget how close those two are. Ya'll never get near one without the others say so."

Seto had to agree, from what he could tell Mai was a big part of Tea's life, it made him wonder how much Mai really knew. Did she know about Tea's past? Seto shook his head, even if she did Seto doubted he could get it out of her. Mai's trust wasn't an easy thing to gain.

He heard Joey laugh and refocused his attention, "I member this one time, Tea had this stalker guy follin her round. Mai almost decked the guy a good one, but called me instead. So I decked the guy. Nobody goes near my baby sista."

"Tea has stalkers?" asked Seto.

"Every damn day, they keep me busy too. I know if she had a boyfriend they'd all scram but I don't trust just any guy with her. I'd rather just knock them out myself," laughed Joey as his grip tightened on her hand, "As soon as she's up an runnin again, I'm gonna have my hands full."

Joey continued to look at her quietly. Seto never knew Joey to be a quiet man, or one that could sit down and think, but Tea's mere presence was proving him wrong once again. Right here before him Joey was doing nothing but contemplating what was going to happen. How everything was going to play out. If Seto had wanted to divulge further into the topic he would have pointed out that Joey was the only one to do this. Out of all of Tea's friends, none had spoken about the what ifs or when she gets better. They all thought about what was going on at that exact moment in time, never past that. Everyone else had seen her, Seto had seen the sign in sheet. Joey had never been on it. He had never been on it because Joey recognized that Tea was in real trouble. Trouble that he didn't wan to, no, wasn't prepared to face.

Joey was smarter then Seto gave him credit for.

He watched as Joey ran his fingers through Tea's hair, "Her hair is getting longer."

Seto agreed, it was almost past her shoulders now, and it was wavy too. Not curly by any means, but it was developing a gentle wave to its body. It was something he noticed after the first couple of days here in the hospital, though why her hair had a sudden wave to it, he had never contemplated.

"I asked her once," said Joey as he continued to run his fingers through her hair, "I asked her ta grow it out. I always thought she'd look good with longer hair. She told me it was easier when shorter. Something about less time in the mornin'. Now all she had ta do was straiten it."

Mokuba looked up, "Straiten it?"

Joey smiled, "Ya didn't know that kid? Yeah, this wave she's got goin on, it's natural. Her hair ain't naturally strait like it always looks like. She told me she'd spend 45 minutes on her hair in the mornin', before she cut it. Now it takes ten."

Mokuba slouched in his chair, "You think you know a person," but he was cut off by his brother's glare. Yeah, maybe that wasn't the best topic to talk about, you know, considering their current situation. Seto did just find out about his friendship with Tea. Maybe he should drop it, but maybe not. "Are her eye's at least naturally blue?"

Joey laughed, "Yeah, they're blue."

Seto could not believe what he was hearing. Was the nature of Tea's hair really more shocking to Mokuba than her past? Or should he say lack there of one? He then caught Mokuba's grin and grimaced. The brat was messing with him, and he was dead as soon as Joey left. He couldn't believe Mokuba had the guts to toy with him at a time like this. And what was going on anyways, since when was he ever civil to Joey Wheeler of all people? Wait, did he just refer to the mutt as a person? Not a dog? Something was definitely wrong here.

"What about Tristen? What are Tea and him like?" damn, Seto bit the inside of his mouth. The words, they just wouldn't stop coming out of his mouth.

Joey looked up rather skeptically at the leader of Kaiba Corp. Industries but put away his suspicions for now, "They are a mix between a whole bunch a things." Joey scratched his head in thought, "He's sort a like the older brother who took care of you when mom and dad weren't around. Feed's ya, clothes ya, keeps ya in line but is always givin ya enough distance to figure things out on your own. Ya, that's what he is to Tea. Kind of like you are for the kid, not so drastic but close enough."

"And Yugi?" asked Seto, why stop? He was obviously had no say in what his mouth wanted to talk about.

Joey laughed, "Tea and Yugi are a whole different matter. I don't really know how to explain that one. I wouldn't say he's a brother, no, their relationship is different then the rest of us. I used to think they were secretly dating, but Tea promised they weren't. Those two are more like…dude I'm not sure. Kid, you've seen them together, how'd you describe it?"

Mokuba scrunched his nose, "Probably like really close friends, but ones that know they have their own lives to lead. They give each other space when the other needs it, but when the other is in trouble you better believe the other is there right there in the action."

Seto placed the information away in his mind, while thinking up his next question, "What about Mai?"

Joey squeezed Tea's hand, "What are you getting at Kaiba?"

Seto stepped forward, business mask on, "If I am going to solve the mystery that is Tea Gardner, I need more information. Something tells me Mai Valentine knows more then she lets on."

Joey looked at Tea, then back at Kaiba. Both brothers could see Joey's internal dual raging inside his body. The mind was reminding Joey that this was Kaiba, the man who cared for no one, but his heart wanted to see Tea alive and well once again, "Mai and Tea are close. Very close. I don't know what Tea could have told Mai, or if she told her anything, but if anyone in this city was to know about Tea's past, it would be Mai."

Kaiba immediately grabbed his coat and swung it over his shoulder, he turned his head just slightly as he walked out of the door, "Mokuba, we are leaving."

Mokuba, hearing his brother's tone, grabbed his own jacket and ran towards the door, "Wait," came a frail voice.

Seto and Mokuba both turned around slowly, "What Wheeler?"

Joey closed his eyes and breathed deeply, "Oh god she's going to kill me," he reopened his eyes, "I do know one more thing."

Seto looked at his brother as Mokuba sat down in the nearest chair. Seto redirected his attention to Joey as he leaned against the wall frame, "Speak."

Joey glared, obviously catching the innuendo about obedient dogs. He pulled his hand back out of Tea's and ruffled his hair a bit, "Ok, but if Tea does wake up, and she does find out that you know this, you did not hear it from me, got it."

Seto rolled his eyes, "You are an imbecile."

Joey's face grew stern, "No joke, either agree or no deal."

Seto leaned against the doorframe for a bit longer before replying, "Fine, but this better be relevant."

"She's from California."

Seto lost his balance as he was leaning against the doorframe but gracefully caught himself before anyone noticed. What?

"And her real name ain't Gardner, she made it up when Zola found her," he finished.

Seto stayed silent for a few moments before attempting anything similar to speech, "Elaborate."

Joey bit his lip, "Tea doesn't…doesn't have a last name. Well, she does I guess, but it ain't Gardner. Or maybe it is, but that would be kinda bizarre if it was."

Mokuba leaned forward in his seat wide eyed, "What?"

"I mean," said Joey louder as he gained more courage, "that moneybags over here is looking for a person that doesn't exist. Gardner ain't her real last name."

"Normally I fully understand whatever it is I hear, but explain what exactly you just said," continued Seto.

Joey stood up quickly and placed his hands on the bed, "Tea made up that name when Zola asked her what her name was. She changed it legally before she came to Domino. I guess if you could figure out who her mother was you could get somewhere, I'm sure Tea had the woman's last name, but, Tea doesn't know her real last name, at least from her fathers side, because she never actually met the guy."

* * *

Firevixen73- I have had this chapter on my computer for at least a month now, but I kept looking at it, trying to see if I can add more. It's shorter than normal, which kind of bugs me. But I hope this chapter will do. Sorry if there are any mistakes, I usually write my chapters late at night, and proof read even later. So I touched on more of Tea's past and Tea's relationship with Joey. I wanted to make Joey a big part of Tea's life because everyone always underestimates him. So please review! It makes me so happy. It is defiantly the highlight of my day when I get to read all those nice reviews! And then you know, I have to go back to schoolwork, blah. Hope everyone liked the chapter, and any questions or comments please ask. I'll answer what I can without giving away the story. 


	16. Getting His Attention

Harpy stood her ground as she watched the man before her. He was scared; an emotion she had not once felt from this particular person. The suffocating atmosphere seemed to surge from him in waves, in turn suffocating her as well. Yami was never one to be afraid, but it seems Anzu's possible rejection of him had the man more shaken up than anyone had anticipated.

"Harpy, I need to speak with her. I need to explain myself, my actions. Please tell me where she is," said Yami pleadingly.

Harpy looked at the Pharaoh skeptically, but didn't grace the man with a comment back.

Yami sighed, defeat lacing his posture, "I have been searching for her for days. I want to apologize to her. It is the least I can do."

"I am sorry Pharaoh but I will not tell you where Anzu is," was all she said to his desperate plea.

Yami's face turned sour, his inner turmoil finally making itself known to the outside world. "What do you mean you will not tell me? I am the Pharaoh of Egypt and if I feel the need to speak to one of my subjects than by Ra I will speak to them. Now tell me where she is!" he yelled angrily.

Harpy looked at Yami, and then at Seth who stood by his side. A thought crossed her mind when she saw the two standing next to each other like they were. How was it that no matter the situation, both were somehow involved? That no matter the circumstance they always seemed to be fighting side by side. It was rather ironic, seeing as the two quite often claimed to despise one another. Perhaps it was fate; perhaps it was the doing of the gods. Whatever the reason, it was going to be something she was going to have to contemplate later. She didn't have time for random thoughts presenting themselves to her at the moment. Besides, Fisherman was more apt to think about such things, she'd ask him what he thought about the pair's fate later.

Letting out a sigh Harpy answered the Pharaoh's demand, "I don't tell you because it wouldn't make a difference Pharaoh. Without Anzu's assistance there is no way for a human such as yourself to reach her."

Seth stepped forward, "It is a place that can only be reached by magic?"

Harpy thought about her response for a minute or two before answering, "No, it can be reached the mortal way, but don't ask me how. I have never used it, and neither has Anzu."

"Where is it?" asked Yami hurriedly.

"Do you mortals not have ears? I don't know. We don't use it because we don't know where the passage way is. Anzu has always teleported herself there and I have always flown, we have never had the need to look for the secret entrance," she answered back honestly.

"Damit, but I need to talk to her. Can't you at least convince her come back?" asked Yami.

Harpy smirked, "Possibly, but I wont. Anzu will come back when she is good and ready and not a moment before. You know her Pharaoh, everything else is just futile."

With nothing else to say, or criticize, she prepared to take flight. Harpy's feathers shook slightly, followed by her wings opening fully, revealing her true wingspan. They where magnificent, with their pearly white tinted coating, each feather with a waterproof layer, and the sun hitting them in just the right place, giving off an blinding glow.

"If you would excuse me, I have to finish rounds," with that said Harpy leaped from the ground with one push and was soaring in the air, circling the place she called home. Before she flew out of hearing distance she let the wind turn her around so she could face the Pharaoh properly, "I wouldn't worry Pharaoh, she'll come back when she is ready to hear your apologies."

With nothing more to say, she flew into the sun to check on her fellow warriors.

* * *

Seth leaned back on the stone slab which was normally used as an alter, not a personalized rest stop, but at this point he really didn't care what the hell he was doing that breached the very protocol he had set. Right now, rules, even if he had been the one to set them, were the last thing he was thinking about. All that mattered right now, as much as he loathed to admit it, was Anzu. He had to find this entrance, he didn't know why he felt such a strong desire to do so, but everything in his body was screaming at him to figure this little riddle out. The only problem with this idea was his lack of…information, quite frankly, he had nothing. He had no leads, no clues, no proof, it was all just one fat theory. Seth didn't like theories, he liked data, evidence, something he could hold in his hand and say, this is real. 

Deciding to support his own weight he lifted himself up from the alter and walked over to one of the many piles of scrolls before him. The answer to this passage way had to be around here somewhere, the problem was in deciding in which pile to look first. There where hundreds of ancient scrolls that could have the answer scattered all throughout the pyramid.

Seth leaned over and as delicately as he could manage, picked up one of the ancient scrolls before him. With one touch the thin fabric like substance started to whither away and crumble to the floor. This was why they switched back to writing the important hieroglyphics on stone…stone didn't crumble at the slightest touch when it became too old.

He sighed in frustration, of course the ancestors who build this particular pyramid just had to keep all their information on this structure on paper. Evidentially they never thought the plans for this pyramid would be important enough to take the time to carve things down on stone. Seth grumbled about the incompetence of others as he delicately tried to pick up another scroll only to have the corner rip and fall to the hard and cold ground.

This was going to be a long couple of days.

* * *

Tea watched as Harpy flew towards her, the sun reflecting off her wings in order to blind all that attempted to follow her. With a gust of wind the woman in gold landed in the center of the lush garden, Tea standing not three feet in front of her, "I thought you had to do rounds today?" 

Tea watched as Harpy smirked, "I do, but I thought you would want to know all that has been happening."

Tea smiled, "But I already do."

After a minute or two of baffled looks, Harpy nodded in understanding, "Oh, your sight. I forgot about that, have you been watching this whole time Anzu? If you have then you know how frantic everyone is to find you, the whole temple is in an uproar."

Tea left her make shift post in the middle of her garden and walked over to the small pond to her right. She gracefully sat down on its bank and started to swirl the water with her finger lazily, "I know, but I really don't feel like going back yet. It's just nice to be up here, where I am able to think about everything that is happening. Everything that I never had the time to think about back down there."

Harpy stood her ground as she watched her best friend play in the water. She had been lying before when she said that she wouldn't try to convince Anzu to return, "Anzu…maybe you should go back."

Tea unconsciously stopped swirling her finger in the water. Without looking at Harpy she closed her eyes and looked strait ahead. She let her mind wander over all that had happened, over her time travel, over all that she had learned, seen…done. No, she shouldn't go back yet, not quite yet. Reopening her eyes Tea started to swirl the water once again, "No, I need to be up here right now. I don't know why or how I know this, but I need to stay up here."

Harpy walked over to Tea, "Anzu…maybe if you just made an appearance. You don't have to talk to anyone or anything, but I know everyone would be less frantic if you made yourself known. So everyone knows that you are safe."

Tea continued to let her mind wander. So much had happened, it was like a tornado had picked her up and destroyed her world in the process. She felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, the only problem was that she didn't have ruby red slippers to take her home or Glinda the Good Witch watching her back, no, instead she had three Wicked Witches of the West chasing her.

Without warning, Tea suddenly felt a spark run through her entire body. It didn't start in a particular place but instead it seemed to branch out into every one of her nerves, until finally, the spark seemed to concentrate in one spot…her finger. She watched as the water she had been lazily weaving into patterns with her finger turned into something more. The water began to spin, faster and faster until it looked like a miniature vortex made out of water. She watched closely as she raised her hand slightly, unconsciously willing the makeshift vortex to follow.

It did.

The water smoothly followed her hand and turned into a tornado made out of the liquid substance. Tea watched intently as a small, miniature sized tornado spun like a dradle on her palm.

"Anzu? Anzu are you listening to me?" asked a rather aggravated voice.

With her concentration lost, Tea watched as the water drizzled back into nothing but a pool of water, dripping from her palm back into the pond.

"Really Anzu, I wasn't all that happy with the Pharaoh's comment either, but he's sorry about what he said. If you've been watching then you know this. Even Seth is starting to get aggravated, and an aggravated High Priest is about as friendly as an aggravated you. Now come on Anzu…are you even listening to me? And for Ra's sake stop staring at your palm!"

Tea looked up at Harpy, still mystified but what she had just done, "How do I do that Harpy? How do I make things like that happen?"

Harpy looked at Tea, and then at the water, "What? That small little vortex? Please you do more than that in your sleep. I remember when you first got your powers and the craziest things would start happening. Like this one time when you had a nightmare and you summoned Blue Eye's in your sleep."

"So I do this type of stuff all the time?" asked Tea while still staring at her hand, then back at the pool of water she was sitting next to.

Harpy, already standing next to Tea, sat down beside her, "Of course you do. During one of the battles you summoned a sand storm so we could retreat to higher ground. Do you not remember this?"

Tea shook her head, "No, I mostly remember, I'm just having a wave of forgetfulness, that's all." She looked back over at Harpy, damn this was going to be awkward, but it had to be done. "So, umm, did I ever tell you how I do it? The sand storms and stuff?"

"Anzu, are you sure your okay? Maybe the heat has gotten to you?" said Harpy as she checked Tea's temperature.

Tea reached up and gently pulled Harpy's hand back down, "I'm fine Harpy, better than fine. Please, can you just remind me, without playing 20 questions?"

Harpy debated about pushing the issue further, not fully understanding what this 20 questions thing was that Anzu had mentioned. The way Anzu had been looking at her hand was as if controlling water was some kind of miracle or something, like when she had first learned about her heritage. No, she ultimately decided, she was Anzu's friend, not her interrogator, "You once told me something about it, that it is actually a lot like every other guardian clan member's powers. That all you really need to do to create a spell is to want something, and then let yourself have it. But you have to tap into and control that part of your powers, which is a lot harder. Besides that, you've never really talked about it."

"So I never told you how to tap into and control a power source?" asked Tea.

Harpy shook her head, "No, you didn't."

Tea stood up and looked up at the sun, not wanting to look Harpy in the eye in case she became suspicious and started to ask more questions. The Mai in her time always had to know everything, and so far Harpy seemed to be the same way, "What powers did I first gain? Which ones were easiest for me to do?"

Harpy almost asked, she almost started to question Anzu, but changed her mind last minute. She knew Anzu, and she would never ask a stupid question, "Your sight, it came first, and then elemental powers. Water, earth, air, fire…they still are your favorite."

Tea spun around to face Harpy head on. She had to many questions that needed answers. She was never going to figure out what to do on her own, and if Harpy was willing to give out answers without questioning everything under the sun Tea was going to take advantage of this opportunity, "What about teleportation? When did that kick in? I seem to be doing that a lot lately, and I'm not even trying."

"What is going on Anzu?" sighed Harpy.

"Harpy, I need an answer…please," whispered Tea pleadingly.

"Alright, you learned teleportation a bit later, but by now, it is probably instinctual. Just like it is for me to fly, or Fisherman to swim. I know every time I want to leave somewhere my wings naturally flutter, your skills are probably doing the same. Now are you going to tell me what's going on?" asked Harpy increasingly frustrated.

"One more question…summoning up Guardian clan members, how do I do it?" said Tea in an authoritative tone.

Harpy blinked a few times before answering, whether it was about Tea's tone or the question, Tea would never know, "I…I don't know how you do it. You just…do. I don't know, you do this thing with your hands, nothing special, it actually changes quiet often, and just…summon someone. That is probably a question for Seth, or maybe the Pharaoh…you know, the person you should go down and talk to."

Tea stuck out her tongue, "Nice try, but not going to happen. I'm very content up here."

Harpy crossed her arms, "Content enough to tell me what the hell is going on?"

Tea slowly drew her tongue back into her mouth. Crap, what was she going to do now? She should have known she was pushing it to far. Think, think, think. Tea racked her brain mercilessly, but couldn't find anything that could be used in this situation.

"Umm…well, you know how tricky Alec can be, and um, I just…just wanted to make sure it was you?" she didn't mean for it to come out as a question but then again, a lot of things that she doesn't mean to do tended to keep on happening to her.

Harpy kept her arms crossed as well as her skeptical look in place "Alec?"

With each passing moment Tea gained confidence in her lie, "That's it, Alec. Who knows what he has planned. For all we know he could have a spy running around the castle disguised as one of us. There was a big changing of hands in Guardian clan members after all."

Tea wished to whatever god there was out there, Egyptian or otherwise, really anyone who would help, that Harpy would buy it. She watched hopelessly as Harpy processed this new found information, "That's true, but why would you question me?"

"Umm…I wasn't? Yeah, that's it, I was just giving you something to go by for when you, Dice, Fisherman and Moth Boy question the new recruits. You know, like a, um, what's the word?" pleaded a desperate Tea.

"A reference?" finished Harpy. She blinked a few times, "Did you just call who I think you just called, Moth Boy?"

"That's it, a reference and shut up about Moth Boy, if he would stop pronouncing his name through wing span flutters maybe I could pronounce it. So do you think you can do it?" asked Tea, just wanting to get Harpy out of there as fast as she could.

"I guess I can-" but Harpy was cut off by Tea's sudden movement.

"That is great, so you should get started immediately," started Tea as she walked Harpy over to the ledge, "and, you would know what questions to ask and what to look for, so, good luck!" yelled Tea as Harpy very ungracefully stumbled off the ledge and confusedly flew away.

As soon as the winged female was out of sight Tea collapsed down onto the stone floor, "Why do I constantly have to make my life harder than it has to be?"

* * *

Seth sat down, looking at another scroll before him. This was utterly impossible, not to mention useless. Seth hated wasting time, and that was exactly what he was doing. But you know what he hated even more…Ravn. 

"So is there any way I can help?" asked said man.

Seth looked up at Ravn, then back at his desk. Because of their current positions, Ravn was currently taller than he was, and Seth wasn't appreciating the view of being looked down on, "Leave."

Ravn's smooth features turned into a frown, "What?" he asked while moving a golden lock out of his face.

"You asked me if there was anything you could do, and I answered, you could leave. In fact, that seems to be the only thing you could ever do to help me in any type of situation that could present itself before me. If in fact, if I should ever need help, which I never have, and never shall, then you will be the first I will ask this particular act of help of. But as I said, I need no ones help, let alone yours. Do not mistake my caution for inadequacy. I know what I am doing," he spat out at the blonde haired man.

Seth listened smugly as the usually friendly man's face turned sour, and his tone became less…sweet, and more threatening. The man's eye's narrowed furiously, "If you shall never need my help, as you have claimed to be true, then I have no need to leave now do I?"

Seth growled in his throat, this man was pressing his patience's. Seth stood up to his full height, in turn matching this 'intruder' in stature, "What do you really want? We obviously hold nothing but contempt for the other, yet you are still standing before me."

Ravn continued to meet Seth's glare, "I wish to help locate Lady Anzu, is their something so wrong with wanting to be in her presence?"

Seth, for some unknown reason, became even angrier with Ravn's finishing statement. His eyes unconsciously became colder and his millennium rod flashed dimly, "The fact that you want to be around that woman is enough to make me question your sanity."

"Why wouldn't I want to be around her? She is everything that I have ever heard about her, beautiful, smart, caring, compassionate, the list goes on. Everything I have ever looked for in a woman. I never expected to find someone so perfect, so her, all in one woman," answered back Ravn without pause.

Seth's mental abilities temporarily faltered with Ravn's statement. He, he intended to court Anzu? That was impossible, no one was allowed to court Anzu, it was just unheard of, something that simply wasn't done. Unknowingly the Millennium Rod resting behind him began to glow even brighter with each passing thought, "And tell me, what does your Uncle think about this. If memory serves your supposed intended and your last remaining family member do not particularly get along."

Ravn grunted in a very undignified manor before he responded, "Do you think I honestly care what my Uncle thinks on this matter? It is not for him to decide with whom I spend the rest of my life, and I will tell you now, that woman will be Anzu. She is everything I have ever wanted, and I intend to be the same for her. I will wait till the end of eternity for her if I must."

Seth let out a full-fledged growl, "Then you will be waiting a very long time if you think she would ever fall for someone like you."

* * *

It had been nearly a week since Tea had been down to the lower levels of the temple, and she was surprisingly stressed. She was going to get this powers thing down if it was the last thing she did. She knew her defeat over Shane had been a combination of luck and brute force. If Shane had used magic she wouldn't have won the fight. Luckily Shane had been her first opponent in battle and not Dorin or Alec. From what she knew, Shane liked to fight, he liked getting his hands dirty. Apparently he had one of those macho man complex's. Dorin on the other hand used magic, and only magic. If she had been in a fight with him she would have defiantly lost. Alec was even worse, seeing as he drew skills from both sides, magic and physical strength. Thank goodness she had not faced him directly. 

Focusing back towards her task at hand she breathed a deep sigh in. Once again she concentrated on the fiery spark that seemed to dwell within her very soul, while at the same time she focused on the water in front of her. Slowly, the clear, blue liquid bended to her will, dislodging itself from the pond it normally inhabited in order to form a tornado around its masters body. The beads of sweat rolling off of Tea joined the large body of water as well, drip by drip.

Concentrating even harder to keep the swirling mass of water moving increasingly fast around her, she pushed harder and had the water molecules multiply, increasing the amount of water swirling around by at least double. When she knew that she could take no more, she released her hold and allowed the original half of water to return to its previous dwelling, and the second half she left to slowly sprinkle onto the surrounding garden.

When she reopened her eyes she couldn't help but smile. Thankfully Anzu had already mastered many of the techniques Tea was trying to learn, so they were much easier to perform when you already new how to do something half way. It was much like her teleportation, her current body automatically responded in the way it was supposed to.

So far creating matter was the hardest thing to do. Wind was easy, it was everywhere, as she had learned when she threw Yami out of her room. Water was slightly harder, but water molecules where in the air, so it wasn't like she was creating something out of nothing. Fire was the same, though by far the hardest to control as well as create. She created fire from the rays of the sun, or sometimes from her own body heat. The sun's rays were by far the easiest to manipulate into fire when in comparison to her own body heat. Now earth, that was a different story.

You cannot create earth, you must start with something, a seed, a petal, a grain of sand, but you needed something. She had learned the hard way how to deal with earth, since unlike the other elements it was a living organism. Trees, flowers, shrubs, everything, they were harder to manipulate. But it was soon after creating three new flower beds that Tea had quickly realized she was going to start enjoying gardening, something she had never been good at before. More than not she usually killed the flowers she was trying to plant. Tea smiled, that was so not going to be a problem any more.

Tea drearily looked up at the sky, there wasn't a cloud in sight. She looked back down at her hands and tilted her head slightly to the left, maybe it was time to practice dealing with the weather, after all, the weather was just a combination of water and air…right?

* * *

All of Egypt was against him, it was that simple. Even now, his conversation with the incompetent idiot that called himself Ravn was still fresh on his mind, even after such a long period of time. After he had distinctively declared that Anzu would never be with Ravn the golden haired man had furiously stomped out of the room, effectively knocking over a shelf of scrolls, which Seth had yet to pick up. It was just unnerving to think of Ravn and Anzu together, it just felt so off. So wrong, and furthermore, he didn't know why but the feeling of betrayal lingered within him every time he thought of the subject. 

To make matters worse, he still didn't know why he had been so adamant about Anzu never willing to accept Ravn as a suitor, aside from the thought making him want to gag. She did have the right to choose for herself, mainly because she would make everyone's life a living hell if she were ever married off to someone without her consent. Every other woman just put up with what the men in their lives told them, but of course, Anzu was not every other woman. In that, he was uncharacteristically thankful. If she was any other woman all Ravn would have to do is gain Yami, Tori and Jyo's blessing, two of which he already had. Then again, Ravn would be hard pressed to gain Jyo's approval. But the question still remained, why the hell was the thought of Anzu and Ravn together so unsetteling?

Seth sighed as she brushed his fingers through his hair in a frustrated manor. Not only did he have way too much to deal with but the weather was possibly going mad. Nothing about it was stable, one minute there would be storms, the next, blazing heat, the next, lightning, and then finally a sand storm.

With a heavy sigh Seth summoned a servant and demanded something to eat before he returned to work. Within minutes something was brought before him along with a pitcher of wine. As he was taking a bite he realized one good thing that had come out of his argument with Ravn, the man had stayed clear of him since.

* * *

Ravn sat next to Pharaoh Yami as the two sit and laughed about nothing in particular. He had spent the last two hours trying to cheer the Pharaoh up about the Lady Anzu's obvious disapproval over Yami. 

"It's nice to laugh again Ravn, it has been a while," said Yami while taking another sip of wine.

"Well I assure you, I can understand your dilemma to do so. Lady Anzu is not an easy woman to get over. I myself have been thoroughly bewitched by her. I can see how she is hard woman to not want the approval of," he answered back while taking another sip of his own goblet.

Yami's smile faltered, but just slightly. It was too brief to be noticed by Ravn, "Yes well, she has bewitched many. I assure you, you are not the first, nor will you be the last."

Ravn placed his goblet of wine down, "To be honest, I am more than bewitched by her Pharaoh Yami," said the beautiful blonde haired man. His deep sea green eyes grew distant and foggy, traveling back to a memory Yami couldn't hope to guess.

Yami looked over at the man in question. He knew what Ravn was implying, but what he didn't know was what response to give. Before he was given the opportunity to think into the matter further a certain someone walked through the door way.

"Yami, I'd like to talk to you about the placement of a few of the guards. I don't understand why you placed them at those outputs," came Jyo's voice as he was looking over a few records. The man looked up and stopped in his tracks, "Never mind, we will talk about this later."

Yami held up his hand and motioned for Jyo to continue, and although the Pharaoh's friend seemed reluctant Jyo knew he had been ordered to speak. He stepped forward and continued, "The men over at the eastern sides of the fortress, why did you move them there?"

Yami placed his goblet down, "That was Lord Ravn's move, and I agreed with it. Our forces were lacking, almost non-existent over there. That area was not protected enough, we we're leaving an opening for the enemy, one which would most defiantly be used."

"But," Jyo frowned, "that side is guarded by open desert. There are very few Guardian Clan members who could make that walk across the land, and even if their was an attack from the east, they would likely be seen days in advance. We need more troops guarding the town and the workers. If we are attacked on that side, the west, the men might not make it in time to the people. They would be slaughtered-"

"That is enough Jyo. Ravn has made a convincing argument, and I trust his judgment. If we are attacked there would be absolutely no resistance on the eastern side. It would be a gaping hole in our forces, one which the enemy would surely take advantage of. Is there anything to prove that we would see the troops sent to attack days in advance? No, you are just speculating, what if your speculations are wrong? If that were to happen the entire Empire would be butchered by either Alec or Dorin, whomever was smart enough to discover our empire's flaws," finished the Pharaoh.

Jyo couldn't believe Yami was arguing with him about this, he had never questioned how Jyo stationed the troops before. Jyo narrowed his gaze at Ravn, who was sitting there on the feathered pillows at his leisure.

Yami continued, "Now that this has been settled and you see why I re-stationed the men, would you care to join us?" he asked while holding up another pitcher.

Jyo refocused his gaze upon his long time friend, "No, I have more work to do."

"Please Lord Jyo, it would do me a great honor. I feel as if I hardly know you, which is something I intend to change," said Ravn while offering a seat next to himself.

"No, I have a lot to do," was all Jyo said before walking back out of the doorway.

* * *

Tea dazedly spun herself around in a circle, enjoying the rain that covered her from head to toe. It felt so wonderful, like back when she was a child and would dance in the rain in hopes of forgetting all that she so desperately wanted to forget. 

Looking back up at the sky she smiled. She was wrong when she thought weather just consisted of water and air, turns out fire had a big impact on everything too. For instance lightning, it was the purest form of energy that you could imagine but was created through the same properties as fire. Lightning, in retrospect, was the basic and purest element of fire.

Tea concentrated within herself and focused on making the weather return to normal, which it did. Taking in a relaxing breath of fresh air she laughed about her day. Undoubtedly everyone was going crazy trying to figure out what was wrong with the weather. She felt somewhat guilty for all the trouble she probably caused the market, and Seth was, more than not, cursing everyone who stepped within two feet of him. He hated unpredictability and she was defiantly making the weather fickle.

She laughed out loud this time as she thought about his grumpy yet still stoic face. Grumpily stoic…she laughed to herself again. It was always a riot taking him out of his element. Speaking of which…she walked over to her ledge, maybe she should see what he was up to. She didn't normally check in on him, usually just Harpy, Mekubo or Jyo. Thinking about the past couple of days harder she decided that he was more likely ecstatic about her not being there to bother him, unlike the people previously listed.

Tea instinctively closed her eyes and then reopened them only for her senses to expand themselves indefinitely. She thought about where she wanted to look and decided on Seth's favorite room, the one with pillars in place of walls and all the boring scrolls littering the floor. The crystal ball view sprung into action as it headed down the hall and into the room she knew so well, and of course as predicted, there he was reading a scroll. She watched as he became more frustrated by the minute, throwing the scroll down by his feet and picking up another next to him, only for the frail end pieces to tear off.

She had no idea what he was doing but she felt somewhat sorry for him. He was obviously frustrated beyond normal reason. She watched as he looked outside and scowled, "Oh, so the weather is going to be nice now? If I didn't know any better I'd say a woman was involved in the decision making, considering the hormonal mood swings going on today," he sneered in his usual sarcastic voice.

Tea huffed angrily and stomped her foot. The idiot, why did he have to be so mean? Any compassion she previously had felt for him was blown away by the wind. He was so lucky she wasn't down there to yell at him…and then a devious thought struck her. She grinned menacingly, she had been practicing for a week strait after all, she did deserve a little fun.

With a wicked gleam that could only be given by a predator on the hunt she concentrated on the room and blew lightly, letting a small gust of wind pick up speed and grow in power. She laughed when she saw the now very large gust of air go through the many open sides of the room, blowing the scrolls in every direction imaginable. Rolling down the hall, scattered throughout the room, no longer in its strategically organized spot, some were still fluttering in the air or even hanging on statues…and then their was Seth, his hands holding half a parchment of scroll in his right hand, seeing as how the other half had been ripped from his grasp by the wind.

He looked furious, and with the slamming of the rest of the scroll on his stone table she broke down in laughter. She slid down on to her knees while gripping her sides. Once she regained her senses she stood back up, barely stifling her giggles. Going back to the room with her sight she watched as Seth angrily stood up and walked over to the nearest shelf, pulling out three more parchments of paper. To say the least Tea was surprised when he walked over the multiple piles scattered throughout the room.

He sat back down and continued to read. She wasn't sure why but Tea found herself becoming more and more frustrated with each passing moment. Whatever he was working on was obviously important, important enough to ignore her. She frowned angrily. Without a clue why Tea felt left out and found the sudden urge to have Seth's attention focused on her, and only her. She felt childish, she felt needy, she felt spoiled, but she wanted him to pay attention to her nonetheless.

She raised her hand and focused on the molecules of water in the air, if this didn't get his attention she'd strike him down with a bolt of lightning.

* * *

Seth wasn't even trying to suppress his rage any more. He had spent…he didn't even know how many days anymore, looking for information about this supposed secret passage way but nothing had even presented itself. He had even asked Harpy again about information but she claimed to not know anything else. Then again, the conversation wasn't very in-depth, she was after all interrogating hoards of clan members. Seth was beginning to wonder if this whole passage way was a hoax. 

He looked up from his work to gaze at all the objects scattered throughout the room. He had no idea where that gust of wind came from, but it was not appreciated. He had spent all his time trying to focus on Anzu: what she was up to, where she could be, how to get in touch with her, and then _this_ happens. He glanced around the room, disapproval marring his features.

He placed the second parchment down, maybe he needed a break. There where so many places the information could be-

"_What the hell?_" screamed Seth as a hell-bent wave of rain went storming through the room.

Somehow, he wasn't sure exactly how, but it was raining…inside. He looked up to see a dark black cloud pouring water not four feet above his head. He walked over to the open pillar walls to see nothing but blue skies and a blazing sun. He looked back up at the ominous cloud hovering above is form.

"What the?" yelled Seth again as he watched the water start to flood the floors. "Hell no," he scowled as he raised his Millennium Rod and summoned a fragment of its power. With a thought the scrolls where covered in a transparent golden shield designed to keep them dry.

He placed his rod back down and looked back up at the cloud, still confused and still frustrated. He had no control over the elements, but he did know one person who did, "Anzu! Get your ass down here now! If you insist on being like this I will come up to wherever you are and get you myself!"

The dark cloud above him thundered and he saw a spark of something bright flash within its dark depths. Without warning a small spark of lighting flashed before his eyes, followed immediately by a loud thunderous sound that made him cover his ears for fear of damage. He growled as he picked the Millennium Rod back up and attempted to walk out of the room, though on the inside he felt no such frustration. In fact he found it rather amusing that Anzu had decided now of all times to pick a fight with him, and he found it even more entertaining through how she chose to get his attention. Obviously he would never admit this out loud of course.

Before he made two steps out of the room a body ran into him. "We heard Anzu's name-" came the voice before the crash happened.

Seth looked up to see both Yami and Ravn on the ground, in the same position he was in. Before he could respond another voice from around the corner joined in, "Anzu? Did I hear-" but the voice was cut off by a yelp.

Seth watched Jyo step within his vicinity and slide on a very wet, now un-savable scroll, that was outside the room and unfortunately not covered through Seth's magic. Jyo slid on the scroll halfway across the room until the paper finally tore, leaving him to trip face first into the multiplying piles of water.

"That hurt," came Jyo's voice when he was finally able to stand. While grabbing his head in agony he looked around to see himself drenched in water. Slowly he looked up to see a still very dark and still pouring cloud hovering above them, "Hey, why is there a cloud inside the temple?"

Seth rolled his eyes, and was about to answer the idiotic question when none other than Harpy herself flying through two of the many pillars and finally landed before them. Within a blink of an eye the cloud hovering above her split, leaving a dry opening for the winged woman to safely stand. Seth looked around to notice that everyone else still had a dark grey mass still pouring buckets of water over them.

It was so like Anzu to do something like this. If he had held any previous doubts about the identity of the person manipulating the elements, they were now placed to rest.

Harpy looked up at everyone else's clouds and smirked, "Looks like Anzu's feeling playful today. So who'd she sick the cloud on?"

Seth stood up angrily and tried to appear dignified while looking like a wet dog previously thrown in the Nile, "Take a wild guess."

Harpy started to laugh but stopped herself once she caught and held the High Priest gaze. Her confidence had obviously grown with the thought of Anzu backing her up in anything she said since normally the woman would find something to busy herself with when dealing with the High Priest one on one. "I just wanted to say that the interrogations are over and thankfully only three where found to be spies. They are currently in the dungeons, but surprisingly none work for Alec, but the other unfortunate brother."

Seth took his cloak and attempted to squeeze the water out, but the cloud above shifted as he did so. Instead of pouring on the other occupants of the room, now it just drizzled. Unfortunately for him said water moved over and above his head, now solely concentrating on him. With a growl he attempted to ignore it, "So we still don't know what Alec is up to?"

The cloud above him thundered and he was forced to once again cover his ears, "What the hell is that woman's problem?"

Harpy snickered from the very dry sidelines, "She's just aggravated that you're ignoring her."

Seth stared at Harpy in disbelief, "Ignore? Ignore? Do you know how much I would give to be able to ignore her?"

The cloud thundered once again. Harpy shook her head in disapproval at Seth, "I'd watch what you say, this is Anzu we're talking about. She's not above striking you with a bolt of lightning."

Seth wisely kept the rising comment in his throat at bay, knowing what Harpy was implying was true. But, ignoring her? Did she not know what he was up to? How he was trying to find her? So, if she didn't know…oh he was going to get her good when he showed up in the one place she thought she was safe from him. But why would she care if _he_ wasn't paying attention to her? He was positive she would care more if it were that mutt, or Tori, or even Yami, but not him. This was something he was going to have to ask her about when he found her. Great, another reason to waste all his time in Anzu.

Ravn looked up at the now drizzling cloud above him, "Why is the Lady focusing all her attention on him?"

Jyo made a very snorting like sound before facing the 'intruder' while Seth pretended not to listen to his answer, "Because he is her daily dose of entertainment, and she was probably bored. Now why she finds his company entertaining you'll have to ask her yourself."

Harpy stepped around the puddles on the floor and gave a very Kaiba like smirk, "By now," she winked once and was gone before another word could be said, she gracefully flew back up into the sky, intent on laughing about the last five minutes with Anzu.

* * *

Seth sat in bed, hunched over a pile of scrolls, his Millennium Rod floating not a foot in front of him, illuminating the room with his necessary reading light. It was late, and he was tired, but that had never stopped him before. 

Luckily the cloud slowly evaporated away as the day went on, but not before thoroughly ruining his evening meal. She had continued to pour water on him throughout the day and soggy anything does not taste appealing, but he ate everything anyways, just to show her up. If he knew Anzu, the fact that he was still eating his meal, despite her best efforts probably had her furious.

He smirked at the memory.

The expression changed as soon as he heard his door creak open, though who could do such a thing went beyond him. He had purposefully enchanted the rock to only move for either him or his brother, and his brother was fast asleep.

Placing the scroll down he refocused his attention on the door in front of him. His hard eye's softened when he saw a mass of unruly black hair poking its way through the doorway, "Big brother?" came a small voice.

"Is their a particular reason you are not in bed?" said Seth while watching his brothers face.

It was rather unnerving the way Mekubo's face went from tired to incredibly guilty. A guilty Mekubo was never a good thing. As the boy stepped fully into the stone room, glancing in every which way, not making eye contact with his brother, "Why are you still awake?"

Seth's eyebrows raised, "Why am I awake?"

"Your normally asleep right now," was all Mekubo said as he dug his big toe into the ground.

Seth gave a look only a brother with parenting experience could give, one filled with a firm hand, but a forgiving nature, "So you were trying to sneak in here without me knowing, in hopes that I would be asleep. Is there a particular reason for this as well?"

Mekubo slowly dragged himself over to his brother's bed, wishing above all things that Seth would have the unquenchable need to collapse into a deep sleep with no memory of this moment. He looked into his brother's eyes and sighed, no such luck. Without further adieu Mekubo handed Seth the scroll that he was previously holding with his left hand, "Here."

Seth skeptically accepted the scroll with growing curiosity, what was Mekubo up to? Slowly unraveling the scroll he nearly choked on his own intake of air. He stared at his brother in disbelief, "How long have you had this?"

Mekubo winced, "A couple of months."

"So this last week?" pushed Seth.

"I was trying to find it once I figured out what you were looking for. I have been trying to slip it into one of the piles of scrolls but I never knew which ones you had read and which ones you hadn't," was all Mekubo said as he twirled his thumbs shamefully.

Seth pushed further, "And why did you have it in the first place?"

"Umm…I was mad at you at the time and was hoping that the couple of scrolls I stole were something that you needed."

"There are more?"

Mekubo nodded his head as his response. Seth sighed and pushed the now useless pile off of his bed and onto the floor, "Bring them back tomorrow morning, for now, just go to bed."

Mekubo looked up apologetically, "You're not angry at me?"

Seth ran his fingers through his hair, "Not right now no, I'm having to much fun thinking about that woman's face when I show up in the one place she thought I couldn't reach her," he reached over and ruffled his younger brother's hair.

Mekubo smiled, a true smile, "I really am sorry."

"Don't do it again."

Mekubo walked over to the door but turned around briefly, "I won't big brother." He stepped out of the door and walked back to his own room. Seth could hear his footsteps. When not another sound could be heard he looked down at the opened scroll before him, reading the directions carefully. He was going to need the power of his Millennium Rod to open the passageway, which would explain why Mekubo had never been there. Even then the passage way only revealed itself during sun up and sun down.

Seth looked outside, four hours till sunrise.

* * *

Firevixen73- So sorry about the long update. I had major writers block all summer and then had family emergency after family emergency. Now I am back in school but hopefully all my boring class work will make we want to write something I would rather write about, something like this. Hope everyone liked it; I know I had fun writing it. Please review, they help keep me motivated as well as give me fresh ideas. Thank you so very much, I'd be nothing with out guys! 


	17. If Your Not, I'm Not

To say the least, Tea was tired. After a very long day of torturing Seth to her heart's content, she found herself in desperate need of some down time. If they had developed TV or ice cream in this time period she would have already been on the couch vegging out and doing nothing that could even be considered as strenuous.

She rolled over onto the mass of moss she had made for herself. It was much better than lying down on stone, and she was able to look at the stars while remaining comfortable. Idly, she wondered if they were this beautiful at home…her home. Kaiba would probably be the only one to answer that, what with that amazing view of his.

Home…would she ever make it back? As wonderful as Ancient Egypt is it would be nice be home, in her own bed, in her own world where there aren't any evil brothers bent on her complete animation. Yes, normalcy would be a nice thing to get back to.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep as the bright stars twinkled above her mischievously.

* * *

Seth watched in anticipation as the sun's rays slowly made their way towards him, beaming their bright lights from around the earth's circular curve and onto the land of Egypt. Quiet quickly he looked at the map in front of him. It was worn and weathered but he would make due. He could not afford to have Anzu absent anymore. If was becoming…bothersome.

He was at the correct spot, this he knew from the detailed drawing on the map, but nothing was happening. They rays of the sun where supposed to hit the wall and the way would be shown to him. Then finally, with his Millennium Rod he would open the doorway, but so far nothing was happening.

He stepped out of the way in attempt to make sure the sun's rays were hitting the wall correctly. Again, nothing was shown to him. He looked once again at the riddle before him. "Rays light plus rods sight and the door will be no more," he quoted from the parchment in front of him.

After a few more minutes of grumbling, Seth was beside himself with anger. The sunrise was almost over and he was running out of time. Perhaps, he is supposed to look through his Millennium Rod. It did posses an engraving of an eye after all. Yes, maybe that was it. Slowly but surely Seth moved the Rod up to his forehead, pressing the cool metal against his temple. With a quick activation of his Rod, Seth scanned the room.

Nothing, nothing was happened. In a very aggravated manor he closed his eyes in thought. Something similar to light flashed before his eyes. Almost immediately he reopened them to see nothing but the wall before him. After a few minutes of contemplation he closed his eyes again. Just maybe he wasn't supposed to see this door with his own eyes at all, only with the Millennium Rod's power.

Once his eyes were closed and he concentrated on his power the same bright light flashed before him. Briefly he wondered if this was what it was like for Anzu when she used her Sight but the 

thought quickly passed when he saw the golden light dim before him. Slowly the light receded and framed what looked to be a doorway. Eyes still closed he placed his hand against the wall, determined to discover how it worked.

As if the wall was made of water his hand fell through the substance previously believed to be solid rock. Within a flash the High Priest was gone, nothing but a small breeze was left standing in the hallway.

* * *

Anzu smiled in her sleep at the sun's beautiful rays gently caressed her face. No matter what time period she was in, the sun was the same. It was consistent, generous and almost affectionate in the way it announced the days beginning. With a quick sigh the woman fell back into her peaceful state of unconsciousness, not even remotely aware of the man breaking her barrier and heading directly for her.

* * *

Seth suddenly found himself being thrown. Almost immediately the man was levitating in the air and tumbling forwards. With a quite crash into what felt like a tree Seth opened his eyes cautiously.

It was not every day the High Priest was caught off guard and it was an even less common day that he found himself falling down, let alone crashing into something. Anzu's shock better be worth it or there was going to be some serious damage across Egypt.

Carefully standing up, Seth took in his surroundings. The sight that greeted him was very different than what he had expected. It was a tropical paradise, one that would make their neighboring lands squeal in jealousy. Before him stood an oasis that could very easily put even the Nile's greatness to shame. Tree's of massive proportion stood before him, the ground was covered in a soft green substance that he vaguely recognized as grass. It had been quite some time since he had seen grass, let alone green grass. Looking up he was beside himself, a beautiful fountain, that he could only assume Anzu had crafted, gently released water down its frame.

He honestly admitted to himself that if he had a place like this, he wouldn't want to dwell in the land of the living either. But scenery was not what he was here for. No, he was here for a certain someone who needed a good talking to.

Very reluctantly Seth left his perch and began to look around for any signs of life besides the birds currently chirping merrily around him. He had walked around in circles for a good four to five minutes before deciding to do this the easy way. Taking a cue from earlier he placed his Millennium Rod against his forehead and closed his eyes. Once again he was blessed with the bright light and once again it slowly dimmed to outline what it was he was looking for.

Anzu.

Opening his eyes he headed in the direction that was revealed to him moments before.

It didn't take him long to reach her. The little patch of land was actually very small. Quickly stepping towards her he stopped in his tracks when he looked up. She was lying on a patch of thick moss, her body spread out comfortably. Her long and lush brown hair cascaded around her elegantly and her dress wrapped itself provocatively around her body, leaving no curve to the imagination, but still revealing a semblance of innocence as her skirt flowed gracefully around her.

Even he had to take a minute to appreciate the beauty before him. Quite carefully he stepped towards her.

Her delicate features seemed to glow with the light from the sun. Her face looked so serine and content, like she was dancing with the sun god himself.

He knew he had to wake her, he knew it, but he couldn't force himself to take another step towards this scene. What was it about her that made him react this way? He had so many different emotions around her that it was almost as if…as if…he liked her.

That wasn't possible. She was Anzu, the bane of his existence. The woman who made his life miserable, intolerable, chaotic and…interesting. He placed his palm on his neck in hopes of relieving this newfound headache. He was not having this conversation with himself. He was not thinking of Anzu in that way. It just wasn't possible.

He looked at her form again with a sigh, but if it wasn't possible than why was he still here? Staring at her like that. He needed to end it, and he needed to end it now.

Without another moment's hesitation he stepped forward towards the sleeping figure, bent on finishing what he had started. His Millennium Rod began to once again glow, probing Anzu back into the realm of consciousness.

Slowly the sleeping girl's eyes fluttered. Her long lashes inch by inch revealing the bright blue eyes of its master's gaze.

Seth watched as the blue spectacles before him went from sleepy, and then changed to curious in an instant. Then finally, as realization seemed to dawn on the woman, the bright blue orbs became shocked beyond comprehension. Seth was rewarded for all his hard work as those bright blue, innocent eyes went wide, disbelief screaming silently through them.

"What?...No…" the woman's jaw dropped without notice.

Seth suppressed his need to laugh, knowing it would ruin this perfect image before him, "You done up here?"

Anzu snapped out of her daze, "You…you!"

She got up from her position and marched over towards him furiously, bent on personally shoving him out of her sanctuary but he stopped her with his hands when she attempted to poke him in the chest. Quite suddenly he grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm backwards, at the same time, pulling her distraught body closer to his own.

In the end, her body was pressed provocatively up to his, Seth's own arm was wrapped around her body, holding her hand against her lower back. Anzu's other hand was trapped between their two meshed forms.

Seth leaned down to her disbelieving features, "Yes, me. Now are you ready to talk?"

She growled angrily and Seth felt the vibration radiate throughout his entire body. "How the hell did you get up here?"

"My secret, not supposed to tell those," he whispered.

Anzu attempted to struggle but his grip held true. He was not letting her go.

"Let me go!" she yelled.

"How about not," he countered.

"How about I chew your face off!" she screamed.

"I would love to see you attempt to," he scoffed.

Luckily he was paying attention to the situation and was able to dodge her attack. Anzu had quickly jumped up while still in his grip, and tried to bite his nose. Unfortunately as he dodged their weight was redistributed and they both tumbled to the grassy covered ground with a loud 'oomph'.

When Seth was finally able to open his eyes and gain his bearings from the fall, there was a very unexpected sight waiting to greet him. There was a very proud, very triumphant woman on top of him who was currently pinning his arms down as she straddled his waist.

"Now how the hell did you get up here?" she asked, still pinning him to the ground.

Well this was not what he had planned on happening. He was not supposed to be submitting to her by any means. Perhaps it was time things went according to plan. Quite quickly he thrusted his body upwards, effectively distracting Anzu enough for her grip to loosen. Once he saw his opening he effortlessly rolled on top of her.

When the two looked back over at each other Seth found himself smiling, a true smile, as the anger radiated from her body.

"This, is so not what I had in mind," she grumbled as the woman tried to avoid eye contact with Seth by any means necessary.

"Anything that gets the job done," he said as his smile turned into a smirk. "Now first, I'd like to talk about that little cloud."

"Oh…you remember that do you?"

"Yes, and I think we are in the perfect situation to talk about it," finished Seth before she could say another word.

"Really? Are you sure you wouldn't want to be somewhere more…comfortable? Like…I don't know…a chair?" she pleaded.

"No, this is rather comfortable," Seth smirked again. In fact, this position was more than comfortable.

His train of thought stopped when he felt Anzu squirming underneath him. Then he felt it, that same twisting of the stomach, the same peak of hunger he would taste whenever he spent too much time with her. He thought about sitting up, about getting off of her very slim waist. Leaving her, getting away from her, usually made the feeling go away.

But…he didn't really want to get off of her.

"Been working out? I figured there would be more fat to cushion me," he said without thought.

All he knew was that he had to get the image of her body pressed up against his out of his head. That stupid talk with Queen Asmara quickly played through his mind. Great, what a time to make an appearance. He needed to think about something else, something repulsing. Suddenly Jyo's eating habits were at the front of his mind and he tried to concentrate on that mental image. Food gushing everywhere, loud obnoxious chewing and the lack of proper eating utensils.

It didn't work. She was still the only thing he could focus on. It didn't help that he had just riled her up too. He forgot how much her anger seemed to ignite the feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I'll kill you," she whispered.

Once again she started bucking, and once again he found the knot growing.

Descending.

Pulsing.

It was wrong how she could do this to him. He knew what the feeling was, he had known from day one. It was lust. Everyone felt it about someone; his of course had to be her. It was just lust 

though, it should have gone away by now. It should have gone away years ago. It should have gone away when he met her, when he saw how difficult she was.

It didn't.

And now, with this new revelation about possibly…liking her? No, it wasn't true. It couldn't be. Eventually, if he argued with her enough, this…feeling would go away. He didn't like her, he didn't. This lust thing wasn't new, he could deal with that like he always had. _Like_…like wasn't something he knew how to deal with, therefore, it wasn't going to be there. Damit, if only she would stop moving her hips like that!

He suppressed a growl of pleasure as he tried to focus, "I'll make you a deal."

She stopped trying to throw him off when she heard that and he was more thankful than Anzu would ever know.

"I don't ask about why you are still up here or your little cloud, and you drop the subject of how I made it up here without growing wings."

He watched as Anzu thought about the offer. She wouldn't pass it up, they both knew it. She would get out of talking about a subject neither one of them wanted to talk about.

"If I make that deal then there is no reason for you to be up here. I'm sure you came up here originally so you could convince me to go back down and talk to Yami. What else are you looking for Seth? What else _could_ you be looking for?" she asked suspiciously.

He smirked, "I'm not heading back down into that hell hole until you do. Until you go back down to the world of the living I'll be staying up here as well."

"You suck," she stuck out her tongue and he had the sudden urge to bite it with his teeth, pulling it into his own mouth. Damn, what the hell was wrong with him? He had never lost control like this. His lust with her never got the better of him like this. It must have been because she was gone for so long. Before when she had locked herself in her room he was too worried about when she was coming back out to think about…other things. He _knew_ she was safe _this_ time, it was different now, it left time for _other_ thoughts.

Seth once again tried to focus on something other than vivid mental pictures, "Deal?"

"Deal," she sighed.

Seth reluctantly got up and released her form. He quickly brushed himself off, they had been rolling around in dirt after all. When he put his hand back down by his side Seth felt a much smaller hand reach up into his own. He looked down just in time to see Anzu pulling herself up through him.

"What? You have no muscle there?" he said automatically.

"Just lazy, now if you would excuse me, I have Jyo to pick on," she laughed while sauntering off elegantly.

He smirked while easily keeping up his own strides with her excited ones, "Like I would miss that."

The woman before him immediately swung around on her heals, "You should be nicer, he actually respects you more than I think he is willing to admit."

"That's funny, make that all up yourself?" came his usual sarcastic reply.

"Question, does your inability to have a decent conversation only revolve around me or were you born that way?" she asked just as sarcastically.

"Just you," spoke Seth without hesitation.

"Awe," the woman before him turned from her perch on the balcony and faced him, "so that makes me a special someone to you doesn't it? Well don't I feel loved."

The woman turned back around before she could see Seth's response. If Tea would have known the thoughts that her comment had provoked within the Priest, she most certainly would have kept her words as thoughts, and only thoughts. But she had spoken those words, and with that little declaration Seth came to a rather abrupt but undeniably true conclusion.

Oh Ra, she was special to him wasn't she? She wasn't just appreciated, and she wasn't just there to banter with…she was…_needed_…and dare he say it…a prioritized want in his life. His whole day was scheduled around her, around when she ate, when she walked in the gardens, when she would normally be in a specific place.

Now the question was…what type of special was she?

* * *

It was about three o'clock that following morning when Seto had gotten the call, the call that had even made his heart quake.

"Sir, I would like to speak to Mr. Seto Kaiba," came a stern voice from the other end of the telephone line.

Seto rolled over to the side of the bed as he pushed Trisket out of the way. With one glance he read the flashing red lights on the clock before him, 2:54 AM. With a growl he turned on his bedside light, wondering how this idiot had gotten his home number and why they felt the need to call him at this god forsaken hour.

"Do you wish to be arrested?" he asked the unfamiliar voice.

"Sir, I can only talk to Mr. Seto Kaiba, please put him on the line," came the same voice.

Absentmindedly Seto heard noises on the background of the phone, where was this man? It sounded like he was in the middle of the subway.

"I'm Seto Kaiba, now what is this about and how did you get this number? We are not listed…in any book," came his angry reply.

"I am the on call doctor at the hospital your friend is currently staying at…Miss Tea Gardner. I am calling because you gave your information for immediate contact in case anything should happen to Miss Gardner," came the same man's reply.

With that said Seto immediately woke up, "What happened? Is she awake?"

"Mr. Kaiba, there have been some…complications."

* * *

Seth watched as the long haired beauty before him stared out into the horizon. Her hair was delicately blowing around her petite frame as she leaned closer and closer to the edge. Before Seth could help himself he found his arm slowly circling her waist until her entire backside was pressed up against his front. He leaned in closer to her right side and rested his chin on her shoulder when she didn't respond. In a delicate whisper he leaned in further, "You are going to fall off."

Tea's eye's snapped open, "Only if you push me."

She could almost feel the smile radiating off him, "You're going to fall off."

She tried to turn so she could properly yell at him but couldn't move due to his close proximity, she knew exactly what he was insinuating with that statement, "You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?"

"I'd take you down with me," came her somewhat shaky reply.

"A lifetime of your bickering or ten seconds worth as we fall to our doom? Decisions, decisions," he said gleefully.

Tea swore silently that she would kill him if he attempted to scare her.

"You're just going to have to trust me Anzu, if you use any of your powers I'll nullify them with my rod. We are at a stale mate, and by state mate I mean you are going to have to trust me not to push you over the ledge. It is a very long drop after all," Seth spoke smoothly.

Silence was all that greeted him as his other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her closer. Then out of pure spite he rocked a bit forward, Tea of course let out a small squeak as she looked over the edge. Seth, being him of course, noticed her discomfort and did it again, only this time a little bit farther out into the open.

"Oh God," came her response as she instinctively wrapped what she could move of her arms around his body.

Seth once again found himself laughing at this woman's antics. It just never got old riling her up now did it? Seth really did cower at the day that she no longer amused him, but after so many years you would think it would have already happened, instead he found himself more drawn to her than ever. Wasn't it supposed to work the opposite way?

"Do you really enjoy watching me suffer that much?"

"Only when I'm the cause of it," he abruptly let her go as he once again leaned forward. Seth watched as her face dropped when a good portion of her body made its way over the ledge. Before she could completely go over though Seth reached forward and grabbed her waist once again, pulling her back up with all of his strength. She immediately swung back up and into his awaiting arms with a force he had not counted on. The both of the them suddenly went tumbling back to the floor.

Seth opened his eye's to see Anzu laying next to him, her hands holding onto his shirt like a lifeline, her eye's wide. The pure look of shock on her face made him immediately break out into laughter. "You really thought I would drop you?"

Shock turned to anger and he couldn't help but laugh even harder.

"You had me so scared your stupid idiot!" she yelled, but Seth noticed how she still held onto his shirt. Even when he rose off the grass covered floor she rose with him, never once losing her grip but continuously yelling at him. "I thought you were going to drop me and then you did! Trust me he says, whatever!"

"Please Anzu, I would never drop you."

She looked up at him questioningly, "You just did."

He laughed again, "Alright, I'll drop you, but I'll always catch you."

"Promise?" she asked pleadingly.

It was then that he realized just how serious this conversation had turned. She wasn't just talking about the balcony anymore was she? She was talking about the war.

"I'm scared, what if I can't do this? I can't…kill people," Seth noticed how her grip tightened on her shirt.

"…Don't worry, I'll take care of it," came his reply.

"But-" she tried to start but the conviction in his voice steadied her.

"I said I would take care of it Anzu, don't even worry about it anymore okay?"

"…Alright."

* * *

"What do you mean…complications?" came Seto's angry reply.

A voice suddenly made its way from the other side of the line. It was a woman's, more than likely a nurse of some sort, and she was talking to the doctor on the other line, "Doctor, we are prepping for surgery, she will be in room 12."

"Surgery? Are you talking about Tea?" yelled Seto into the phone.

"Mr. Kaiba, please this is an emergency, you must stay calm," came the doctors response.

"Do not do anything, I am on my way. I'll be there in five minutes," and with that Seto hung up the phone. He didn't care that he was in nothing but a long dark blue pair of silk pajama bottoms, he didn't care that he was barefoot, he didn't care that he might have flung Trisket half way across the room as he threw the covers off of him.

He just didn't care.

* * *

Tea grabbed Seth's hand as she released his shirt from her grasp, the one she had just realized she was holding onto. "Come on, I'll transport us back to the main floor. Perhaps it's time Yami and I had a little talk. From what I can tell, Jyo was furious about something that he did, though I couldn't imagine what. I was trying to pinpoint it just now, but I couldn't seem to find anyone."

Before another word could be spoken the two were surrounded by the infamous gold light that leaked from her eyes.

* * *

Seto drove through the darkened streets, breaking every speed limit he passed by at least a good 20 to 30 miles an hour. He was going to make it to that damn hospital and find out what had happened if it killed him.

* * *

The light faded as Seth blinked a few times in order to gain his bearings properly. It was weird, traveling unexpectedly like that. Perhaps-ooff!

Before another thought could pass through his head a black light and a blinding pain in his head left him speechless, as well as unconscious.

* * *

Seto pulled into the emergency park way and sprinted up the stairs, pushing various civilians out of the way. The man didn't even think about using the elevator, knowing it would take too long to reach him. The stairs were the next option, the only option in his mind set and he quickly headed for the door. As soon as he made it to the floor which he new Tea resided on he burst through the doors. Without a second thought he headed towards Tea's room, knowing it couldn't be as bad as the doctor had made it sound.

* * *

Seth woke up, stripped of his Millennium Rod and bound. Before him laid an unconscious Mekubo and Yami. What in the world had happened? Still in his daze Seth looked to his left to see a barely conscious Tori trying to open his eyes. As soon as Seth's eye's managed to focus he was greeted with a sight he really didn't want to see. Many of the palace servants were strone about the room as well, either unconscious as gagged.

But where was Anzu.

It was then that he heard a large crashing noise. Seth tried to turn but his body wouldn't let him, it was still sore from whatever had hit him in the back of the head. Any quick movements and his vision would blur, his body would ache and the mind splitting headache would shoot through his head.

A female scream was heard following another crashing noise and he forced his body to roll over.

A small female form was laying on the ground, various weapons and statues surrounding her. The Anubis statue that normally decorated the room was in pieces on the floor, and from the looks of it, the woman's body had acted as the hammer forced to break it. That was impossible though, no regular human could survive a throw like that and survive, and from the woman's labored breathing she was still alive. Seth watched hazily as she tried to stand up, using what was left of her upper arm strength to pull herself to her knees. That was when he saw her back. It had been ripped open from what looked to be whip marks, obviously magic induced from the bright black glow surrounding the edges.

How was this woman still alive? He didn't know who she was but…then it registered. His vision once again became clear as her face came into focus.

Oh Ra, it was Anzu.

* * *

Seto Kaiba was not a man to be left speechless, he was not a man to be caught off guard, and he was not a man to care, but something in him cracked when he saw the disorder that was the hospital. Nurses were frantic as they rushed in and out of her room, towels and towels pooled with blood held tightly in the grasps. He watched as two doctors ran into the room, a stretcher quickly following them.

"We need to move her, the bed is to bloody," came a harsh voice from inside.

What had happened? Without another thought he rushed towards the door but was held outside by another frantic nurse caring towels. He immediately pulled her aside as the towels dropped to the floor, "What the hell happened?!"

"I am not at-" she started but he cut her off.

"I don't give a damn, I am Seto Kaiba, her current guardian while she resides in this hospital. You are going to tell me what the hell happened or I will personally destroy you, your entire family, your neighbors and your fucking children. What the _hell_ happened!"

"You are Seto Kaiba?" came the same doctor's voice from behind him, "Good, sign this release form this instant so we can get her into surgery."

Seto released the poor frazzled nurse and turned towards the voice he recognized on the phone. "You are?"

"Dr. Wei, and you need to sign this or your friend could very well die," he spoke quickly.

"What happened, tell me and tell me now," was all Seto said as he eyed the doctor warily.

"We don't have time for this Mr. Kaiba-" he started but another doctor from the room quickly pushed him out of the way. The man in the white coat had various traces of blood all over him and he seemed to be completely exhausted, sweat was already starting to form down his back. But that wasn't what caught Seto's attention, the stretcher was what did.

Tea laid unconscious before him, propped up on her side, her back fully exposed to him. She had various bruises lining her body, the worst of which was on her ribs and outer thighs, the worst sight to behold though was her back. It looked as if someone had taken a whip to her body, the lines of torn flesh making him wince. Blood was pouring out of them, any only when a nurse pushed him out of the way to clean of the wound did he really see out deep the marks went.

What caused him to pause was the black mist coming from the edges of the whip markings.

He turned to the doctor, "What happened?"

"We have no idea. A nurse came in to tidy up her room and…but that is not the strangest part," the old man pushed up his glasses as he watched the other doctors place her on her stomach. "We immediately grabbed the security cameras but no one was in her room, no one has walked out or in, it was like they just appeared. As it turns out…they do."

"What do you mean? Wounds like that just do not appear," came Seto's stark reply.

"Watch," came Dr. Wei's voice.

And they did, they turned and watched as Tea's body reacted, as at the vary base of her back another deep welt and mark appeared. How it traveled upwards and wrapped around her form, traveling up to her neck, while following the curvature of her spine.

"What is this?"

"We have no idea, we have tried everything to stop it but nothing works. We are hoping that with surgery we can cauterize the wounds but many of us are doubtful. I have never been a superstitious man but something beyond our control is happening. This is not human, whatever is doing this."

* * *

Seth tried to focus all his energy to his feet, he needed to help her, he needed to stop this. He felt another blinding pain on his back and he looked up to see once of Dorin's guardian monsters knock him to his feet. He had never seen this one before, it looked almost like a golem. It was scaly like a lizard, and held the color of sand as it's pigment. In fact, if it was placed outside in the desert, where he had a feeling it belonged, then there would be no way to pinpoint its location whatsoever.

"Seth?" came a whimper to his left.

Seth turned his head to see Jyo awaken to the scene.

"What happened?" he asked Jyo.

"We were jumped," came Jyo's voice as he slowly gained his bearings.

"Why didn't Anzu or I sense it?" asked Seth.

"Dorin, some sort of concealing spell."

"Shut up prisoners, Lord Dorin is finishing a fight that should have happened years ago. Watch your new ruler!" came the golem's reply.

Both turned just in time to see a man with dark hair launch a black whip towards the figure already on the ground.

"Anzu…" croaked Jyo.

"He's going to kill her, we need to stop him," came Seth's whisper.

"How, most of us are chained and gagged," asked Jyo.

"I need my rod, someone must have taken it."

"Dorin?" asked Jyo.

"No," Seth shook his head, "the guardian clan members cannot touch the Millennium items without the owners consent."

"Can you summon it?" asked Jyo.

"Perhaps, but I would need more energy to do so."

Without second notice Jyo rolled over and kicked the guard who was watching the beating. Then, as soon as the guard was down, Jyo pressed the tips of his fingers onto Seth's body. He reached for Seth's hand and a warm glow suddenly filled the High Priest. He tried to jerk back but Jyo held on stead fast. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I may not be a magic user but I know how to do the basics. Transferring energy is one of them," came Jyo's response as the guard made his way to his feet.

"You're going to get yourself killed!"

"I don't care…" Seth could hear Jyo's voice drift off as his energy left him, "just save my baby sister, out of us, you have the best chances of getting her out of this alive."

"Stop, you are giving me to much…anymore and your body will stop functioning!" but the golem looking creature cut him off as Jyo's body was thrown to the side by a webbed foot.

"Filthy mortal!" came its screechy yell as the thing continued to pound on the now unconscious Jyo.

Seth tried to concentrate with all his might on finding the rod. Jyo had nearly given him his life force and he was not going to let it go to waste, he couldn't afford to let it go to waste, Anzu wasn't going to hold out much longer.

* * *

**Firevixen73**- And she finally updates. Sorry everyone, but I hope everyone liked it so please leave your comments, I have a feeling I'm going to need some motivation to keep me focused on my stories and not just school. Thank you so much for sticking with the story!


	18. What it Takes to Survive

Tea tried desperately to hold onto what was left of her sanity. She was being thrown around the room mercilessly as she was tossed from left to right by the dark magic surrounding her supposed brother.

He was slimy looking with his dark hair greased back the way that it was. How they did that in this day and age she didn't know, nor did she want to. She really just wanted to teach this man a lesson about throwing little sisters into stone walls but the magically induced whips were keeping her from doing much of anything.

"And Alec thought that you would be trouble? Why he was concentrating his efforts on you I will never know," laughed the sickly looking man.

Tea spat blood from her mouth as the man spoke, "I don't know what your problem is, but I'm going to slaughter you. No one touches my friends and gets away with it."

With as much energy as she could muster Tea combined the raw forces of fire to make itself known. It took everything she had left but she was able to make a shield around herself. Lightning showered around her in a protective manner like a snake, the bright lights causing Dorin to shield his eyes momentarily.

"Filthy woman, you are nothing, your powers are nothing!" again the black whip attacked her but her own powers surfaced.

Tea's own protective streaks of white lightning surged around her as a flash of raw energy sprung from its shield and attacked the incoming whip head on. With a crack to deafen the dead the black whip dissipated as the lightening returned to her like a snake coiling itself around a tree.

"Bitch!" he yelled.

Tea, who was having a hard time holding herself up on her own two feet, paid the insult no head. She didn't have time to care about what he said. Hell, she wasn't even sure if she had time to care processing _anything_ at this moment.

"Your friends are as good as dead; you might as well give in while you still have a breath left in you. That way you can see me kill them in front of your very eyes, it would be much better that way," he smiled wickedly.

She could feel her energy levels rising as he began to anger her even more. Tea had never been able to tolerate threats towards the ones she loved. "At least I have something to protect, unlike a madman like you."

Dorin's eyes narrowed, "I'll skin you."

The wind picked up as Tea tried to think of some sort of attack. She barely had any control of her powers and he had years of training. She knew the elements, but that was it. She wasn't even sure how to summon the guardians. Her friends were down for the count and she was horribly injured. No wonder Anzu left, she wouldn't want to deal with this either.

Then something absolutely magical happened, something that only happens in fairy tales. Something that made her think that maybe something powerful and almighty was on her side.

Seth was awake.

He was slowly inching towards the other side of the room where Yami lay unconscious. Dorin had yet to notice him since he was currently in the middle of torturing her. Tea suddenly felt herself grow stronger as she realized she might have a fighting chance here. Her adrenaline rushed as she remembered Seto Kaiba's determination in any situation he was up against. It was true she didn't know nearly as much about the man in this time, but she knew her Kaiba boys and Seto would do anything to make sure no one ever beat him, no matter the time period.

Tea turned her eye's towards Dorin, "I know I'm not as powerful as you, but then again, I'm pretty pissed."

Dorin scoffed.

Tea smiled, "You would be surprised how ingenuitive a pissed off woman can be."

Her eyes began to glow the familiar gold but her body didn't move. Instead the dust and dirt around her began to rise in swirls of wind. Her hair began to float and her feet began to rise. She watched as Dorin stared at her but she just didn't care. This man was from Egypt, he was used to heat. Well _she_ wasn't from around here and she was ready to use that to her advantage.

Water began to form from the surrounding air as she clenched her fists together. In an instant the surrounding water molecules turned hard like glass, spikes forming on the end. She again concentrated as the spikes became bigger, almost fist size. She added more and more of her skills towards various icicles until they were where she wanted them.

In one large thrust they were sent forwards where they would properly damage their target. Dorin, having never really faced ice before used his magic shields to try and prevent the attack, only to have them busted through by the dagger like ends on the ice currently attacking him. He sent another spell to protect himself but hissed when an icicle went through the side of his cheek and another that slit open his pant leg. When he felt the wetness dripping down his body he immediately realized this was water and summoned a few fireballs to attack his _beloved_ little sister.

Tea on the other hand was prepared for his sudden realization. She shielded herself with a gust of wind which spread the fire slightly but managed to keep it away from herself. With a ferocious glint in her eyes, and while the fire surrounded her, she pulled what was left of her energy and formed another round of attacks. This one with a little something extra, she just hoped Dorin was as predictable as he seemed. If he wasn't her whole plan was shot.

The fire around her died as she again hauled the blast of icicles towards Dorin.

Dorin, seeing her attack summoned another wave of fire and defended himself, knowing that the heat would melt the ice. The ice and fire mixed as Dorin looked towards Tea as he watched her fall to her knees on the ground, he knew he had won. Her energy was gone and her friends were useless, he had more than won, he had conquered.

He unexpectedly clutched his heart as something sharp, pointy and hot shot straight through him. Another painful burst made itself known in his stomach, then his leg, and finally his shoulder. Slowly he felt something start to gurgle in his mouth, something with a distinct metallic taste. He brought his hands towards his mouth and then pulled them away to see blood coating his fingers.

"Wh-" he tried but it came out as gurgles. He looked down to see a combination of rock, metal and hardened clay sticking out of various injured parts of his body. He looked back over towards Tea in disbelief. There were chucks of holes on the ground where there should be floor which he had missed during the attack thanks to the fire she had spread around herself. She had tricked him, she had fused the elements from the ground into the hardened water. She had known that once he figured out how to get rid of the water he would use that attack again. She then fused the elements that the fire couldn't touch into her attack.

His knee dropped to the ground as he coughed up blood that was now pooling at his feet. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't swallow. He couldn't do much of anything. Quiet ungracefully he collapsed onto the floor in a messy heap, unable to stand.

The bastard kid of the family had…beat him.

He closed his eyes as they became hazy while watching her form. He knew this would be the last time they would be opened. He knew he would be dead in the next few seconds and anything he could ever wish was useless to even think about, but all the same, he cursed the woman for ever being born.

* * *

Tea watched as Dorin collapsed before her and she hoped to god that this was the end. Some part of her couldn't believe she had won, another part of her didn't comprehend that it was over. The biggest part of her just didn't care.

Tea fell forward as she felt everything around her go foggy. Her back injuries were back with a vengeance as they reminded her of the pain she was enduring. Her ribs ached and her body felt drained of any form of life-force that could keep her going.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched as a figure that she couldn't distinguish walked up towards her and picked her up gently. Not remembering anyone other than Seth being awake or free she immediately fell asleep in the man's arms knowing that Seth would protect her. He had promised afterall. The golden glow of the Millennium Rod shone brightly as she drifted off into the world of fantasized bliss.

She ignored the feeling that told her that Seth's clothes felt like the wrong material, that the colors were different from what he was wearing. She ignored the voice in her head that said her knight in shining armor's scent was much more relaxing than the man holding her.

She was too tired to comprehend anything her body was telling her and immediately fell asleep as the man pulled her tighter, almost to the point of…pain.

* * *

Tea woke up to the sound of clanking. It was a rather loud and annoying sound, like pots banging up against each other, or children deciding that all the valuable items in the house would make a great makeshift football. She suddenly heard a crash, something had broken. From the sound it seemed like a pot of some kind.

Slowly, and hesitantly, she opened her eyes. It was relatively dark where she was but she could see the light streaming in through the nearest window. She pressed her hand to her head while trying to make herself believe that her pounding and mind numbing headache would go away.

Another pot broke as she grabbed her head.

She groaned and the noise stopped. Silent footsteps made their way over, "Why, hello Anzu."

Tea, realizing the man was talking to her looked up. Before her stood the charming young man who was visiting the palace. His disheveled blonde hair framed his face and his ear piercings glistened as the light hit them. "Ravn?"

"About time you got up, we can finally get a move on," he growled while grabbing her arm and hauling her up towards her feet painfully. She hissed as her ribs protested but the man didn't care.

"Owe, Ravn what's going on?" she tried to hold in her pain as he dragged her towards the sealed door. The man picked up the golden Millennium Rod next to him and pointed it at the door. A blast of light shown from the eye and the door turned to dust before her eyes. "That's-"

"Mine now, as promised by your brother," finished Ravn.

Tea clutched her ribs as he attempted to drag her outside, "My brother? Dorin? You work for Dorin?" she wheezed thanks to her lack of ability to breathe properly.

"Dorin? No, I wouldn't work for that fool for a room full of gold. Alec and I struck a deal a year ago. I bring him you and I get anything I want. This should do nicely for now, I am sure that there is more that I want though. He will gladly give me anything for your pretty little head."

Tea gulped down her fear. "Alec? You work for him?" she tried to keep up with his pace as he dragged her down the empty streets. "But you advocated for-"

"I advocated for anything that would get me what I wanted. Those monsters are just that, scum designed to be worked. You are much the same, and rest assured that you and this land are the other things I will demand." He turned and yanked her towards his own pulsing body, "I did not lie when I told that foolish king you had bewitched me, we will be married and I will own you by the end of the week. Your body will be working plenty, so you will earn your keep."

Tea felt her anger and disbelief grow. Ravn had tricked them? He worked for Alec? She thought of screaming but knew it would do her no good. No normal citizen could do a thing about it since he had the Rod and she was too exhausted to stop him herself. Quickly she scanned the crowds while looking for an escape but soon found that there weren't any crowds to be looking at. The streets where bare. This was wrong, it was well into the day. The market should be jam packed, but instead all there were was turned over tables, spoiling fruit and slash marks…wait, slash marks?

"What happened to the town?" she huffed while again clutching her sides.

"Alec's men destroyed the town. That mutt Jyo isn't as stupid as I thought. After I convinced your Pharaoh to move the squadron of men to my advantage Jyo knew something was up and had a good portion of the towns people evacuated. His men were only able to kill about a fifth of the towns folk. They were sorely disappointed, they had so been looking forwards to fresh meat."

Tea gulped down a sob as she remembered all of those smiling faces. Had Jem been killed? What about everyone at the bakery? Or the old man with the cotton?

Ravn stopped as he pulled her close. She had to physically keep herself from gagging as he pulled her body up against his so he could feel every curve she had to offer, "It all happened so fast. When Dorin was fighting you, it was splendid to watch."

Tea spat in his face as he pulled her closer, "Your sick!"

With little to no effort he rose his hand and smacked her viciously against her face. She flew to the ground with the blow, "My women know there place."

Tea somehow kept her hands from massaging her cheek. She knew from experience that when dealing with an abuser do not show them that they have effected you. "You don't deserve to live, let alone have the love of a woman."

His eyes almost glowed in their ferocity.

"And you actually think you can control the Millennium Rod? Are you an idiot? You are not its master? It will never work properly for you. Seth is the only one powerful enough to handle that thing and you are a fool to think you could ever match his level of expertise," she yelled.

"That's it!" he yelled while directing the Rod at her, "I am shutting you up!"

A the Rod began to grow Tea prepared for the worst. In her weakened state there was nothing she could do. She closed her eyes and prayed that her friends knew that she loved them. She hope they knew that even though she had never told them her life's story that she still considered them her deepest confidants. And she really hoped that Seto got his ass kicked for his past life not keeping his stupid promise.

The light burnt her eyes as she squeezed them closer but no real pain came. A dark figure stood before her and Tea looked up just in time to see billowing robes and the lean figure she knew so well. Seth stood before her as he blocked the Rod's powers from her form. As the light disappeared she looked over at Ravn's disbelieving face.

Seth decided it was his turn to speak. In panting breaths he walked up to the man whom he hated so much, "The Rod cannot hurt me you son of a bitch." Instead of yanking the powerful object from the man's grip Seth made things personal. With a quick thrust and mean undercut he brought the man to his knees. Then with a left hook and jaw splitting hit Ravn went crashing to the ground.

"Never touch Anzu. I don't care if you burn the whole town down, but never touch Anzu."

Tea couldn't believe her eyes or her ears as Seth picked up the Rod, once again making his way towards her. She could hear his heavy breathing and knew he must have spent this whole time looking for them. "You came?"

Seth smiled, a true smile, as he kneeling to the ground where she was sitting, "Of course I did. I promised didn't I?"

Tea could feel her world going black but she tried to focus on him, "I didn't think you would."

She clutched her side as Seth wrapped his arms around her waist as she wavered. He pulled her closer and she heard his whisper, "I'll always come for you…always."

* * *

When Tea opened her eyes she couldn't believe what she was seeing. At first her world was blurry but then the images' became clearer. No, she wasn't seeing temples, or lots of lots of sand, but all the same she couldn't believe her eyes.

Before her stood the world she knew so well, but at the same time, it was a world she no longer knew.

"Mickey?"

She was standing in the place that started it all. The wind still howled and the snow still covered the ground but it was Mickey's. Tea looked towards her left as she remembered the Red Eye's attacking her. There was something different though, the front door was open. Tea timidly started to make her way towards the scene, positive that she was dreaming again. This was how it had happened last time right? She had been here and then she was in Egypt.

Tea stepped into the familiar doorway as the lights turned on with their own accord. She looked around the room to see the familiar tables and chairs lining the floor. All but one table had the chairs on the counters facing the ceiling, signaling closing time. On that one table sat a girl with long brown hair, ancient Egyptian clothes and sparkling blue eyes.

"Hello Tea," laughed the woman.

"Y-Your me?" squeaked Tea.

"Yes," laughed Anzu again.

Tea cautiously walked over, all the while looking around to make sure this wasn't another one of Alec's tricks, cause this would be a pretty mean one.

"Don't worry, it's just us…we'll, you get it," Anzu tapped the chair next to her with her fingers while motioning Tea to sit.

"Sorry, it's just a little…"

"Weird," finished Anzu for her.

Tea immediately took her seat as the surrealness of the situation hit her.

"I am sorry for all of this. Alec…tricked me. When I receded he cast a spell to keep me out of my own body, thus the need for you and the time traveling spell," frowned Anzu.

"Out of your own…body?" whispered Tea.

"Yes, he was quiet surprised to find me walking around when his spells were indicating that they were still fully intact…but I have finally found a way around them," she giggled. "I wanted to met you, myself of course, before I went back because I mean really, how many people have the chance to do that?"

"You're going back?" asked Tea in disbelief.

"…Yes, I have learned a lot while looking at things from the outside, knowledge I really feel like acting on. You can go back to your own time now, your body is fine, just a little coma."

"Oh…" sighed Tea.

Anzu giggled, "Don't worry, Seth will still be there, he just goes by a different name."

Tea turned bright red and she knew it, but that didn't mean she couldn't deny it, "What? Kaiba? You think I care about him? You are insane, I just miss…umm…all the Guardians."

"You cannot lie to me Tea, I am you after all. I know how you feel about him, because I feel the same. It's rather easy to push it aside though and mistake it for hate. I used to as well, until I had to sit here and watch everything from everyone else's point of view."

Tea scoffed, "I do _not_ like him okay?"

"Yes well, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between love and hate, god knows it took me long enough," smirked Anzu.

"Is-is that what I look like when I smirk? No wonder my friends always know I'm up to something," laughed Tea.

Anzu smiled, "He's worried as hell about you…Seto Kaiba."

Tea stopped laughing, "He probably doesn't even know I'm not okay. He's such as ass that way."

"Oh, he's an ass alright, just like Seth, but apparently I love that about him. I don't know, it's all a new revelation for me. I'm still trying to sort it all out," sighed Anzu dramatically.

"…I don't think we're the same person," growled Tea at Anzu's ability to turn the conversation back towards Kaiba.

Anzu stood up while laughing, "Your powers have finally found an equilibrium with your body so your headaches should be gone…though Alec is in your time and is gaining power. He has already killed the other two now that he knows you are the main threat to him. His future self is just as slippery as the one I deal with."

Tea stood up so they were eye level but Anzu pushed her back down into the chair, "Don't worry, your Priest will protect you…but before I go, there is something you need to do."

Tea looked at Anzu with caution, "This is going to be something I don't want to do isn't it."

"I want you to call your Priest. Your body is weak and you might need to summon up a bit of his powers in order to make the travel successfully."

"C-Call who?" stuttered Tea.

"Say Seto's name while picturing him in your mind. Then, silently ask him for help in returning home," smiled Anzu.

"…Or I could stay here for a while," argued Tea. Anzu glared and after a few minutes Tea caved as she closed her eyes, reluctantly doing what she was told, "…Kaiba."

Anzu rolled her eyes, "That is not his name and you know it. Do this seriously unless you really _do_ want to stay here forever."

Tea was not amused; "Fine…" she closed her eyes and pictured the arrogant man she knew so well. His haughty expression came first. His infamous glare second, and let's not forget his superb capability to make other's feel like dirt. Well, all except for Mokuba, he truly did love that little boy.

"Seto."

Tea's vision began to spin as Anzu's face seemed to split into a million different directions. She clutched her stomach as her pain began to resurface. Once again her world went black.

* * *

Seto Kaiba could barely stand when Yami entered the room. He had been awake for nine hours as they operated on the woman sleeping in front of him. He had moved her to a private room where he could find a place to sit without having to worry about squashing a box of chocolates or get well flowers.

"How is she?" asked Yami.

Seto shook his head, "Not good."

Yami looked over at her form then back at Kaiba, "Can I look? From the way you described them they sounded magically induced."

Kaiba stood as he walked over to the bed. Careful of the stitches he rolled Tea onto her side. From the back of the hospital gown he was able to show Yami the slices in her back, "They stopped glowing about an hour ago and the smoke is no longer coming out of them."

Yami examined the wounds and pressed his fingers up to the wound while letting his magic flow through them, "These were done by dark magic."

"They were able to stabilize her about three hours ago but, they are not sure if they will come back," tried Kaiba as he stared at the wounds. "The normal time frame that doctors give coma patients to wake up before they start deducting the probability of waking up is three months. While we haven't hit that yet, this surgery has them all speculating."

"The way you spoke just now," sighed Yami, "you sound like a businessman."

Seto glared, "It is important to remain objective when dealing with a situation like this."

"Situation? Objective…" Yami froze as the situation dawned on him, "They asked you to pull the life support plug didn't they?"

"…They did. They believe it will be less painful for everyone."

There was nothing that could come to Yami's mind at that statement. They didn't think she could pull through. The doctors were giving up. "What's their probability?"

"…Five percent chance, or less," whispered Kaiba.

"Sometimes statistics are wrong. I know that is hard for a businessman like you to understand, but she still has that chance."

"What chance? The chance to watch my brother cry every night for the next few years as she remains unresponsive?" argued Kaiba. "Damn, I don't want to do it but…five percent? That's a death sentence."

Yami, having no clue what to say, held his breath. He did not want to give up on Tea, but this was out of his hands. It had been a little over a month. Would it be more merciful to let her go? No, it wouldn't. Everyone needed her, and while she still had a chance he was going to believe in her.

"Trust her Kaiba, trust Tea to come back to us."

Kaiba shook his head, "She's got no chance."

"Tea never was one for following the odds. Give her a chance, believe in her and I know she'll pull through," Yami tried again.

Kaiba, really not wanting to have this conversation any longer, stood up and reached over to where the unresponsive Tea lay. "Just leave."

"Kaiba-" tried Yami.

"Get the fuck out, I need some time to think," he all but yelled.

Yami slowly stood up and headed for the door. Before he reached the hallway, he turned around for one last comment. "She's a fighter, you of all people should know that."

And then he was gone, down the hall and for now, not Kaiba's problem.

Seto Kaiba looked on at Tea Gardner. The small beeping sounds resonated through the room as her heart and breathing continued on. The doctors were all but sure that due to her knew injuries, she'd never survive on her own. He glared at her form, speaking to her as if she were alive and able to listen to him, "God I hate you. You throw everything upside-down for me. You're a smart-aleck bitch that makes me want to throw my reputation away and just…kiss you."

Beep, the monitor continued.

He sunk to his knees and grabbed a hold of her hand, pressing it to his forehead. "Just wake up. For once in your pathetic life listen to me and wake the hell up."

Beep.

The machines indicated no chance. They beeped at the same pace, destroying all hope.

Beep.

He scowled, "I like you better unconscious anyways, less whining."

Beep.

He stood up to leave, ready to tell the doctors his answer. While it was completely logical to let the situation go and for everyone to move on with their lives, it just wasn't something he could do. He had done a lot of horrible things in his life, things that he had never really felt guilty about, but this, he knew this was different. Killing her would haunt him forever. Besides, Mokuba would never forgive him.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Seto Kaiba froze.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

He spun on his heels.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Impossible. He rushed over to the bed. Yes, the great Seto Kaiba did indeed rush. If only his investors could see him now.

He heard a grumble from the woman next to him and his heart froze.

Almost on cue the woman's eye's fluttered open. Lazily the familiar brilliant blue met up with his own disbelieving midnight blue. They closed slowly as if trying to readjust to being used. After a few more seconds they re-opened. "S-" her voice cracked but she tried again, "Seto?"

There was nothing he could say to describe his disbelief. "I-I?"

"Tea?" came a soft and loving voice they both knew so well.

Seto looked just in time to see a disbelieving Mokuba standing in the doorway. The boxes of food the boy had snuck in were quickly dropped to the ground as they scattered all over the floor. Juice, skittles, chips and a cheeseburger from the look of it.

"Mokuba?" whispered Tea, while still trying to get her bearings.

Before another word could be spoken the small boy was leaping across the room and bound for the bed. In a quick jump he was off the floor and in her arms crying his eyes out. Tea tried to move her arms to comfort him but found that they were dead tired and not used to responding anymore. Slowly, and with huge amounts of effort, she was able wrap her arms around him as he wept.

* * *

Two days later Tea sort of sat upright in the Kaiba family limo. By sort of she meant that her body was still weak so she was half laying down while Mokuba continued to latch onto her. He had refused to leave her side since she had woken up, much to the disappointment of the doctors. It was hard to do all of the follow up procedures as a little boy followed them around everywhere. Thanks to the older brother, it was one kid that they couldn't get rid of either.

Tea looked out the window, "Thank you for driving me home."

Seto just grunted as he sat across the limo from the pair.

"You really didn't have to do this."

Seto rolled his eyes while Mokuba laughed, "You can hardly stand on your own, you weren't about to get in a cab by yourself."

Tea smiled as she ruffled Mokuba's hair, "You're so sweet, how again are you related to him?" Tea had quickly found out that Seto was no Seth, he was just as mean to her as before. So she quickly reverted back towards how she had always treated him.

Mokuba giggled, "My brother's perfect, you're the strange one."

"My dog is going to eat you," she tried to laugh as well, but she just ended up coughing instead. She leaned over slightly as she placed her hand over her mouth as a rough round of hacking made itself known.

Mokuba was quickly by her side asking her if she wanted anything. She waved him off and ruffled his hair again as she tried to calm her breathing. Apparently those whips had truly screwed up her body. Magic was apparently like that. Miraculously enough she was already healing, she could only suppose it was from her guardian powers.

A quick glance out her window told her something was wrong, "This isn't my street."

Mokuba rolled his eyes but continued to hold her, "Well of course were not in your neighborhood. Do you really think we'd let you go home alone? Your gonna stay with us!"

Tea clutched her side as she tried not to laugh, but stopped when she saw Mokuba's proud face. In a flash, one turn that killed her back, she was looking at Kaiba in disbelief. He of course, was not looking at her. He instead was looking out said window as he rested his chin on the palm of his hand.

Mokuba continued, "We knew you'd never get in the car if we told you where we were going so we may have lied, but…its only cause your pig headedly stubborn."

Tea turned back towards Mokuba, "You've been hanging out with your brother haven't you?"

Mokuba blushed, "Maybe a little bit. I was bored without you."

She turned back towards Kaiba, "My animals are-"

"At my house," finished Kaiba as he continued to look out the window.

She tried again, "They-"

"-are loving the large yard and big house," he again cut her off.

"I'm-"

"A pain in the ass, yes, but you need someone to look after you. Your friends are incompetent and my house was the best option." This time he turned to face her. "There is already a room prepared. It is on the same floor as mine and Mokuba's so we should be there to help you just in case. There is also a full wait staff who had been briefed on the situation."

"I-" one last try but the jerk once again cut her off.

"Will go straight to bed." His tone left no room for argument. It was one of those tones an authoritative figure gave when something was final.

She crossed her arms across her chest in a defiant manor, "I need to-"

"Your bills have been waved and the dance studio has been aware of your situation. They want to have you rest for a good month or so before you come back in, what with your stitches and all."

Okay, now she was frustrated, "How the hell do you keep doing that?!"

Kaiba blinked a few times before he caught on to what she was saying. The car stopped and the door opened. He leaned forward to step out of the car but not before leaning over, not an inch away from her face. He listened as her breath was caught in her throat. "Guess I'm just that good."

He stepped out of the car with a smile on his face. He hadn't known how to act now that she had woken up. Was he supposed to act like normal? Was he supposed to be one of her friends? All goody-goody and save the world? God knows he was incapable of doing that. He wasn't sure how to act because he wasn't sure what he felt. And he seriously doubted her relationship with him had changed while she laid unconscious so…he had no clue what to do.

Though, there was no way he could refrain from picking on her. She was just going to have to deal with that.

With a huff, on her end, he waited as Mokuba attempted to help her out of the car. She was doing surprisingly well on her own but Mokuba was making it more complicated by babying her. He wouldn't even let her place her own feet out of the car. And of course, being Tea, she was putting up with it through a smile.

This was going to take forever. A sudden idea struck him. He needed to find out what was going on with him. He needed to figure out what he felt. Pushing boundaries and seeing what still felt comfortable was a great way to find out what he really wanted. Something he could do with no other woman with his dignity or pride still intact. He knew exactly what he could do. He knew what normally would feel so uncomfortable to him it might actually break his impenetrable composure.

Seto smoothly turned around and gracefully leaned over to the woman slowly being lead into a standing position. In one fluid motion her feet were no longer on the floor and her body was floating in mid air. Seto watched as her shocked face registered how he was caring her, like some prince out of a novel. His left arm was wrapped around her upper back and his other arm was laced around the bend in her knees.

The man looked towards his younger brother who was just as shocked, "I would like to eat sometime today."

He took a step forward and Tea's arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she pulled her body closer. He heard her mumble and he leaned down just a bit so she could repeat herself, "You're not going drop me, are you?" he heard her whisper.

He looked down at the woman he was currently carrying like a newlywed as he stepped towards his front doors, "Not unless you want me to, if you prefer to land on the marble floors than by all means tell me."

Her fierce gaze automatically matched his as she pulled herself from his shirt, "You are such a jerk."

He smirked as the familiarity of their bickering came back to him full force, though something different was surrounding them. None of the normal hostility was there, just playfulness. Oh god, he was playful. Just great, his dignity was shattered irreversibly.

They made it up the stairs, Mokuba not even a foot behind them. The maid by the hallway quickly opened the door as the two brothers and their guest made their way into the lavishly furnished room. Slowly, Seto lowered her onto the bed, Mokuba pulling the covers down. It was pretty cold out after all.

"I'm not a kid," she argued.

"Spoke the invalid," Seto scoffed.

She pouted but there was nothing she could do.

Both brothers walked towards the door, "Dinner will be in about three hours, I'll wake you up. It will just be a light nap, we're not going to wait too long. In the mean time, you go to sleep." With the push of a button black out lights descended and the door was shut, leaving Tea nothing to do but sleep.

* * *

The two brother's stood outside the doors that they had just exited, "Why don't you go ask the chef to fix you something for a snack. Dinner will be in six hours so you might want something for the wait."

Mokuba looked up at his brother, "You told Tea we'd be eating at five, that's in three hours."

"She's as stubborn as a mule. She never would have taken a nap if she thought she'd be spending half the day sleeping. Now go get something." Seto pointed to the kitchen down the stairs as he turned and headed towards his own room, not ten feet away.

Seto shut his door as he heard his little brother descending down the stairs. Slowly the man exhaled as he virtually through himself on his bed.

Shit. That stupid walk from the car to the room left him feeling…excited. He had been more than comfortable with the act. It had felt…right. He had wanted more. He hadn't wanted to let go.

Just great. He had fallen for the most illogical, inconsistent and stubborn woman he had ever met. He had fallen for the one woman who wanted nothing to do with him.

"Fuck."

* * *

**Firevixen73**- So, I'm not going to even try to explain the long update. And I know that Kaiba is cussing more than normal, but I am thinking that the guy is under a lot of stress right now. Language always comes out more when things are going from bad to worse. Hope you liked the chapter!


	19. Getting Closer

Tea couldn't believe what had just happened. Seto Kaiba had just carried her, like some fairytale knight, up a flight of stairs and tucked her into bed. The world had gone insane while she was unconscious. Someone had replaced all of her friends and family. Yuugi and Kaiba were on speaking terms, Joey and Kaiba had a decent conversation and she was sleeping in the most luxurious bed she had ever been in.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

Mokuba couldn't believe how his world had changed. Tea was currently living in his house. She was not staying in one of the guest rooms either, the ones reserved across the mansion two floors down. She was staying in the family wing across the hall from his brother.

He aimlessly pulled out a book from underneath his pillow. Rebecca had given it to him as a joke. It was a bunch of photo shopped pictures of 'his perfect' family. The first page depicted a couple getting married, white dress and black tie event. His brother and Tea's picture had been digitally placed in as the couple's faces.

Maybe Rebecca was on to something.

* * *

It was seven by the time Tea woke up. Both Mokuba and Seto were sitting in the office, work their first priority. Mokuba was finishing up a math assignment, one that he had hoped he could con his brother into doing for him.

"I just don't get why the X goes right here, and why you divide. Can you show me?" he tried again.

Seto, who was writing up a revised contract, sighed in dismay. "You know very well how to do it, you are just being lazy."

Mokuba groaned, "But it is so much easier when you do it."

Seto quickly directed his brother back to his desk where the remainder of his homework awaited him. Mokuba nearly growled as he stomped back over to his seat, "Tea would do it."

Seto was about to comment on that but he was cut off, "That's a load of crap and you know it Mokuba."

They both turned to the open doorway where the voice was coming from. Mokuba was immediately on his feet as he saw Tea standing there, leaning against the door, "Why didn't you call us? I could have helped you down the stairs. Did one of the maids help you? You should not be doing something so strenuous when you are so weak. Maybe you should-"

Tea cut him off with a quick pat on the head, "I feel much better, and yes, one of the maids did help me. She was very sweet."

The woman turned her attention back to her host, "Thank you Kaiba, for taking care of me like this."

He quickly turned back to his computer. "It was no problem, just try not to do anything stupid while you are here."

Tea's thankful gaze quickly turned into a glare, "Still an ass I see." She quickly turned on her heals as she headed over towards the kitchen. She was much too tired to deal with an irate Seto Kaiba, hell, she was too tired to do much of anything right now. After vigilantly making her way to the kitchen she carefully sat down on a stool. Her body was still not used to supporting activity after being dormant so long.

She sighed as she dropped her head down on the counter. "Oww," she growled as her forehead hit the marble counter a little harder than she thought it would. Even in pain, she continued to keep her head down. She didn't know what she was thinking earlier, there was no way he was being nice. It must have been a trick of the light or something…yeah, that was it.

When she looked back up and managed to lift her head off the counter, the younger of the brothers was looking her directly in the eyes. "Don't worry, I told him off for you."

She smiled as she ruffled his hair, "Don't worry, I can take care of myself Mokuba. I was just to out of it to argue with him."

Mokuba rose his eyebrow but said nothing. He quickly got up and poured her some cereal, "We'll call the chef for some dinner, but in the mean time, eat this."

Tea couldn't help but feel thankful at how sweet this boy was. How is it the brothers could be such complete opposites?

She continued to eat while Mokuba created his little plan. She was in mid-bite when he asked the most surprising question she had ever heard from his lips, "What is your perfect man."

The spoon full of cereal was immediately dropped back into the bowl. Tea's mind was reeling with past events of her life. It was as if Mokuba's question had triggered some sort of mental response for her. She was quickly cataloging every man she had ever met, along with their characteristics. Suddenly Kaiba was in her head. First the Kaiba she knew and hated before her little trip, then the Kaiba she met while there, then of course the Kaiba she knew now. She frowned at the memory, "Picture your brother."

Mokuba's eyes brightened, but Tea was to into her own world to notice.

"And then think of the exact opposite."

Mokuba's face fell, but he managed to hide it before she revered back to the present. "So poor, clingy and doesn't really know what he believes in. What a catch Tea."

She glared at his outright defiance.

Mokuba rolled his eyes, "Really, what would you want?"

Tea was back to eating her cereal, the question no longer a surprise, "Like a list?"

Mokuba nodded his head.

She once again frowned as she raked through her memories of characteristics she liked in a guy, "He'd have to be smart, cause I think I would get bored with someone who could not keep up with me. He would definitely have to get my humor, and be able to reciprocate it. I'd want him to be honest too, and honorable. If I ever found someone cheating on me heads would roll. But most of all I'd want him to love me. I think the rest would follow."

Mokuba mentally checked off everything in his head. How was it that she just described his brother and she didn't even know it? "So you want Seto."

The food literally came out of her mouth. "What?"

"You just described big brother."

"…D…Did not!" she screamed.

"Yes you did," he argued while taking a bite out of her cereal. "Big brother is all of those things, except maybe the love part."

Tea quickly stood up as she headed over to the doors leading back towards the stairway, "Your crazy Mokuba. Your brother is not my ideal guy."

She was gone before he could argue the point further.

* * *

She was not tired at all. Her mind was going a million miles a minute as she laid there, praying for it to be daylight so she could go home. That was all she wanted, her nice bed and her life without a confusing Seto Kaiba. It was so much easier when he blatantly hated her. Absentmindedly she looked over at the clock. The lights indicated that it was 2:37 in the morning, meaning a good few hours until sunrise.

She turned over as her stomach growled once again. The cereal had been her dinner, since she immediately booked it up to her room, and she did not even finish it. Stupid Kaiba ruining her meal. Carefully she looked over at her door, as if magically expecting someone to be there with a tray of treats. Perhaps she could go get some food. No one would be up anyways, and she knew where the kitchen was. It wasn't like it could hurt, right?

Tea carefully pushed the covers off of her, shivering only slightly as her feet touch the floor. This is why normal people invested in slippers. With only her robe and nightgown she slowly made her way down the stairs. Soon she was in front of the kitchen and stepping into her comfort zone.

She did not originally notice the light poking out from under the doorway, but she sure did notice it as it temporarily blinded her. By the time she opened her eyes she was standing next to the doorway, looking straight at Seto Kaiba.

He wore no shirt, only a pair of flannel pants, and an open robe that did nothing to hide his figure. She stood there, shocked, momentarily, "Umm…"

Kaiba, who was busy opening up the refrigerator, mentally berated himself. Why did he have a sudden craving for something sweet? Deciding that he should be slightly civil, even if she was driving him crazy in that nightgown, Kaiba spoke first, "Hungry?"

"Umm…yeah."

He carefully pulled out the half eaten carrot cake and cut them both a piece. After putting them on the appropriate plates he handed her a fork. Before he gave it to her he watched the goosebumps on her body rose. Frowning slightly, because her robe was paper thin, Kaiba balanced the two plates on her forearm and pulled her out of the kitchen by her elbow. Surprisingly, she did not protest. After a few minutes they were in a cozy looking living room. He sat her down on the couch, placing the plates next to her, and flipped the switch for the gas fireplace. He quickly sat down next to her and picked his food up. It was only after a few bites that he noticed she was only pushing her food around on her plate.

"What? Don't like your own recipe?"

Tea immediately snapped out of her daze and looked down at her food. "Carrot cake? Wait? This is what I made with Mokuba and Rebecca isn't it?"

Kaiba smiled just slightly, "It is. We defrosted it Christmas Day. It's not quite it, but it is pretty damn close to my mother's recipe Gardner. So, write this down cause you will never hear it again…but…thank you."

Tea slowly turned towards him, a slight blush on her cheeks, "Your welcome."

Together they ate in silence, just watching the flames flicker as they sat together. It was only when they had both finished, Kaiba placing the plate down on the nearby table and Tea holding hers in her lap, that they truly spoke.

Kaiba looked at the woman he thought he knew so well. "Gardner, what happened to you?"

Tea, completely caught off guard by the question, just sat there. What was he talking about? What happened with the coma? She had thought she did a pretty good job of covering anything abnormal about that up. She decided to ask before she revealed anything she was not ready to reveal. "What?"

He sighed, "Garner, you're an idiot, but an idiot who I cannot figure out. I've met Zola, that crazy pregnant girl, and a few other people I have no intention of ever seeing again but I still don't know what happened before all that. Zola told me the story of you on his doorsteps but that is all I got."

Tea smiled only because she knew if she did anything else she might cry, "Wow, for a control freak like you that must be driving you mad."

He ran his fingers through his hair, "Just fucking tell me Gardner, before I throw you outside or something."

Tea briefly looked outside the nearby window. There was no snow tonight, just the white powder that was already on the ground, and the moon reflecting off of it. "I used to hate the snow."

Kaiba did not say anything, knowing that this was something that would be hard for her to talk about.

"My mom was a woman who got lucky by being pretty enough to be invited to some business party out in California. She hooked up with some big businessman and got herself pregnant. She couldn't afford an abortion so she reluctantly kept me. About three years after I was born she pissed off the wrong people and we moved to Maine. She got a job as a waitress and dated around. Eventually she ended up with a bastard of a guy named David. To this day I hate the name. He was a son of a bitch that bullied others just because he could. That man had no honor in him. Most of the time he was just mean, always saying nasty things about my mom and me. It's because of him that I can match you in any verbal spar you give me, he made sure to give me lots of practice. Of course, I also had to learn how to dodge a swing what with my big mouth."

She turned her gaze back to the fire and rested her head on her knees. "It was alright though, he used to leave at nights to go to the bars. If my mom and I were lucky he wouldn't come back until morning…except for when it would snow. I don't know if you have ever been to Maine but when it snows up there it _really_ snows. You are stuck where you are until dug out. He would sit in front of the damn television and drink. It did not matter what you put in front of him, he would down it in one gulp."

Tea briefly closed her eyes as she remembered all of those nights. "My mom was always first. He'd hit her until she couldn't get up. I wasn't allowed to touch her though, even to check and see if she was still alive. Then he'd yell at me to get him some more to drink. When he would get really mad he would hit me, but never enough to knock me out. No one could get him his damn alcohol then."

Kaiba did not know what to say. He had learned that Tea was stronger than she looked, but he had never expected this. "What happened the night Zola found you?"

Tea smiled a very fake smile, "I had been begging my mom to leave, to runaway, but she was convinced he loved her. It was obvious to everyone that he did not. You do not treat someone like a ragdoll when you love them. She did not want to hear it though. That night it was snowing again, so he was home. My mom was already unconscious and on the floor when it got bad. That was when he did something he had never done before. He grabbed me and tried to kiss me. I turned my head in time but he did not like that. In his anger he grabbed the nearest bottle and smashed it up against my back. By this time I was running on pure instinct and reached for the nearest thing available. It was a bat, since he was a little league coach we had plenty. He was quickly down, but only temporarily, I saw him getting back up."

Finally, she turned towards Kaiba. "At that point I didn't care about my mother. I left. I ran outside into the storm and down the street. I knew if I stopped he'd find me. Before I knew it I heard the nearby train station that was about a mile away from our house. Without even thinking about it I pulled myself up onto the nearest freight compartment and curled up into a ball. Later that night it left for New York City and I went on a two day trip. When I got there, half starved and freezing cold, I ate whatever I could find, but it wasn't much. I think it was three days later when I stumbled across Mickey's restaurant. I guess you know what happened after that."

Tea looked back into the fire, tears in her eyes. "I still don't know what happened to my mom, or David. Sometimes I regret it, but other times I look around and see everything I've gained and know that she may have been my mother, but she wasn't worth staying there."

"Gardner…I'm sorry."

She wiped away a tear, "Why? It's not your fault."

"No, but you did not deserve what happened to you."

She carefully laid the plate down next to Kaiba's on the table, and then leaned back into the couch. "Alright, I told you my sob story, your turn."

Kaiba immediately frowned, "I don't-"

"Don't even try that," she gave him a quick glare.

He sighed, "Car accident. Mokuba was maybe two so he doesn't remember, but I do. My parents were everyday workers that you would see in any office. My father worked in the engineering department and my mother a low level secretary, but I guess they were happy. It was a Saturday when some punk wasn't watching where they were going and ran a red lightly. I was flung from the car and landed on the gravel. I still remember hearing Mokuba crying, the smell of the gasoline and oil mixing. I was on instinct as well and ran up to the car. My father…had a shard of glass sticking out of his throat, but my mother was still breathing. Her words were scattered as she told me to save my brother. I realize now that with her blood loss she never would have survived anyways but I still tried. I went for her first but she pushed me away and told me that Mokuba was my little brother, and more important than anything else."

"So you saved him?" asked Tea.

Kaiba looked into the fire, "I had barely pulled him out when the car blew up. The oils had mixed enough to cause an explosion, destroying both cars and their occupants. We were then sent to the orphanage where we lived together for nearly a year."

Tea looked closer at Kaiba but she saw no tears, no regret, no sorrow. "You are very good at bottling up your emotions."

Kaiba did not even grace her with a glance, let alone a glare.

They did not speak for a few minutes as they both remembered everything they'd tried to forget. Tea yawned twice, but did not get up from the comfortable couch, "We're pretty screwed up, aren't we?"

Kaiba looked down at her to see her eyes shut briefly, and then not open. A few seconds later her body slumped as she drifted off to sleep. Her head fell on his shoulder, her hand across his stomach. To his surprise he did not move her.

* * *

Tea woke with the strangest sensation. She felt warm, and comfortable. She hadn't felt this safe in a long time, not since living back in California with her mother in that stupid one bedroom apartment. Not wanting to open her eyes she snuggled deeper into her covers, that were fuzzy like…a robe?

Regretfully opening up her eyes, because she knew it would ruin her happy state, Tea took in her surroundings. She was in what looked to be a small living room. It had bookshelves, the crackling fire and the oh-so comfortable couches. She slowly ran her fingers through the warm fabric that covered her. It was soft, and fluffy like she had said, but that was not what surprised her. The further she ran her hands up the robe the more she felt something solid wrapped around her, like an arm. She reached around her waist and gasped, that was defiantly a large hand wrapped around her stomach.

She turned just slightly and was met with hard abs and an even tighter grip. The arm seemed to sense her movement as it pulled her tighter towards the attached body. Tea finally managed to look up, but not really wanting to since last night's events were finally catching up with her, when she stopped breathing.

She was in the frickin arms of Seto Kaiba.

_The_ Seto Kaiba.

Seto-god-damn-Kaiba!

Her head was getting dizzy when she finally realized that she needed to breathe in order to live. After a few calming gulps of air she quickly reassessed the situation. Once she was calmed down, because she had really needed to do that, Tea looked back up at the man in front of her. He looked a lot different then he normally did. Instead of those hard lines on his face he looked closer to carefree. His lips were parted slightly and his hair was falling in his face. After a quick giggle she reached up and brushed the wayward strands out of his eyes, only for them to fall back exactly where they were before. She frowned a little but her eyes were smiling, "God, even your hair is stubborn."

Only with great care did she sit up. His arm never left her waist but she found that she did not mind. Even with the fire blazing like it was she was still a little cold and his body was keeping her warm. While she never thought she would want to snuggle with Seto Kaiba of all people, she found that it was not as nearly as repulsive as she had always imagined it being. In fact, it was rather nice. The only person, aside from her mother, she had ever slept next to was Mokuba and the kid was a covers hog.

Briefly, Tea started wondering what was going to happen now. She had never shared her story with anyone before and wasn't sure how to go about her interactions with him now. Was she supposed to be sarcastic? Ignore it? Nice? She didn't think she could do nice unless he did nice as well. It was only when the door opened that she was pulled out of her thoughts.

A curious looking Mokuba stepped into the room, "There you are. Have you seen my-"

Tea quickly placed her pointer finger on her lips as she made a shushing noise. Quickly grabbing the plates both her and Mokuba headed out of the room and into the hallway. Carefully she shut the door and turned to her friend, "Kaiba's sleeping. He looks like he could use it. How about we give him the day off."

Mokuba just smiled as they walked down the halls. "So, why were you in there with him?"

Tea immediately blushed but covered it up by distracting him. She ruffled his hair and he scowled, "We were talking about how good of a kid you are."

Mokuba did a very Kaiba like look as he rose his eyebrow, "No, really, what were you guys talking about?"

She sighed at the lack of effect her distraction had, "No really, we were talking about you as a little kid. Apparently you cried a lot when you were scared."

He frowned, "Did not."

She smirked, glad that her distraction finally worked, "Did too."

He crossed his arms defiantly, realizing that this was a conversation he was not going to win. "What are your plans for today?"

Tea briefly looked back at the room she had just left, "I was thinking of paying your brother back for his hospitality."

* * *

Kaiba woke with a start as the light hit his closed eye lids. What the hell? He never slept in past sunrise, his alarm clock made sure of that. Bringing his arm over his face he blocked out the sun. After a few minutes of adjustment he turned his head towards the clock.

2:45 PM

Kaiba turned back towards the ceiling as he recited the time in his-2:45! He was immediately off the couch and through the door. Why the _hell_ hadn't anyone woke him up! He had the rest of the Board meeting at 9:00, then the deposition that was due at 11:30. Then of course there was the press conference at the hotel that began at noon. What about the lawsuit he needed to go over? He was planning on having that done by the end of the day. How was he supposed to do that with the stupid Brinker meeting at 2:00. Shit! The Brinker meeting had already started!

As he dashed up his stairs Kaiba slammed the door to his room, changing into the nearest business suit he could find. After quickly brushing his teeth and planning on combing his hair in the limo, right after firing everyone of course, he was once again heading down his stairs. This time though, he was not running, just walking very quickly.

As he was heading down the stairs he saw a maid holding a bunch of towels. "You! Maid! Why the hell didn't anyone wake me up?"

The towels she was carrying were immediately dropped in fright when she heard his angry voice, "I-We, were told not to wake you Master Kaiba."

He growled, "By who?"

"Mistress Gardner, sir."

"Gardner? Why the hell would listen to her? And why did she tell you not to wake me up?" He said all this while grabbing his briefcase by the front door and putting on his new designer scarf. Mokuba had bought it for him as a Christmas present and he had worn it every day since.

"I don't know sir, you could always ask her though. She is in the main study with Mr. Brinker right now," she said carefully.

Kaiba immediately stopped what he was doing when he heard the name Brinker. Slowly, and menacingly, he turned towards the unfortunate maid. "What?"

"She is in with Mr. Brinker in the main study right now Master Kaiba. They have been in there for about an hour now. Mokuba is out playing in the garden with the man's niece if you would like to see him as well," she said while gulping. She had just gotten this job four months ago, she could not afford to lose it.

Before she could ask about the security of her job Kaiba was walking down the hall, an evil glint in his eyes. He was going to kill her. She screwed up his whole day and could have possibly set him back months. And who knows the damage she could have done with Brinker, the man was not known for his forgiveness. He was instantly in front of the doors and pushed them open without a thought.

He looked up to see Tea and Mr. Brinker sitting across from each other while sipping tea out of his fine China. The two blinked repeatedly at him in wonder. Before he was given the chance to yell, Tea cut him off.

"Kaiba? What are you doing here?"

His right eyebrow rose as he went into business mode. He could not yell at her properly in front of a possible client, "Woman, I am not in my own home?"

She rolled her eyes before she started to pour herself some more tea. She briefly looked up at Mr. Brinker, "See what I mean? He is so mean to me."

"Do not take it personal my dear, I have seen him around the rest of his staff. It is in his nature," said Brinker in his monotone voice.

Tea briefly tapped the spot next to her with her hand while looking at Kaiba, "Have a seat, we were just talking about his niece. She is in first grade?"

Kaiba, knowing that he could not argue right now, sat down where she had indicated. She quickly poured him a drink as Brinker spoke about his beloved niece, but then quickly changed the subject after answering her question. "I have to say, I was mildly surprised when I got Ms. Gardner's message. I never figured you for the holiday type but it was a nice change of pace than the usual office visit. I agree by the way, business should be done after the holidays."

Tea cut in before Kaiba could ask what he meant, "Seto and I have known each other for years and no one is as dedicated to family as he is. You should see him and his brother together."

Brinker just smiled, which was odd since Kaiba had never seen that expression on the man's face before. "Thank you Kaiba for rescheduling this little visit and your house is exquisite. I dare say my niece will want to come here every year if this is how you treat your guests. Perhaps next time my sister can come, she's always loved high ceilings like this. Not to mention the garden is marvelous."

Tea shook her head while smiling, "You know the deal Mr. Brinker. Only close friends of the family get to stay here, if you want to visit your going to have to get on Seto's good side. Of course, I think you are well on your way."

Mr. Brinker laughed a stiff laugh, but one that was heartfelt as he stood up. "I think it is time we left, maybe by the time I have all my things someone will be able to locate my niece?"

Tea laughed, "Of course, I will go get her for you."

She quickly reached over and gave the man a large hug, "It was nice meeting you. Now remember, when you get home order some lavender oil, it should help with your sleeping fits."

The man hugged her back but did not let go of her arms, "You are a wonder Ms. Grander, Kaiba was a lucky man to have found a woman like you. If you ever want a job, you let me know."

Tea smiled as she left the room with a quick wave.

Brinker turned towards Kaiba, "So where is the ring?"

Kaiba blinked, "Ring?"

"You are going to ask that lovely woman to marry you aren't you?" he asked.

Kaiba blinked in confusion, "No, we're not dating."

"…What a waist. You better be careful Kaiba, a girl like that will be taken in no time." He started as they began to walk out of the room and towards the front door. "Her mind is sharp, and she won't take any of your crap."

"I-"

"Should drug her and fly her up to Vegas, that is what I say. Be over and done with it so she can't leave you," the man put on his coat and scarf and opened up the front door. "She will take care of you Kaiba, as I suspect she did today. Those bags under your eyes have been growing, your doctors are worried about you and you barely eat."

"You checked up on me?" he tried asking.

"The point is, she is good for you, and I suspect that when you learn how to show affection, you will be good for her as well." The man looked up and smiled as the pitter-pattering of small feet became louder. Soon a little girl with bright red hair was swinging happily in his arms. Her coat was covered in snow, as was her hair. The little girl's cheeks were bright red from the cold but Kaiba sincerely doubted that she cared. Mr. Brinker turned towards him, "Thank you Kaiba, Ms. Gardner, for the wonderful day. I will be sure to call you when the holidays are over about our future business plans."

The door shut, and the small family of two was gone.

"Well that went well. He's a nice man, a bit rough around the edges but still nice," sighed Tea from behind him.

Seto was immediately on her. He grabbed her arm and dragged her to his office. After quickly throwing her into his desk chair, and watching her slide because of the wheels, he asked her the question that had been on his mind since he had woken up, "What the hell Gardner?"

She sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes, "Wow, you're so melodramatic. You're worse than a girl."

"No games Gardner, this is my life you are playing with," he growled.

She glared, "One you obviously don't care about. What healthy person sleeps into three like that? And when was the last time you ate a healthy meal?"

"Don't tell me how to run my life, it was working out fine," he argued.

"Yeah, if you consider your life healthy. You know, you are allowed to take a break once in a while," she spat back.

"Things don't get done when I take a break. Just look at today," he fought back.

She crossed her arms, "And what, may I ask, did not get done?"

"Nine o'clock board meeting," he started, "and then the deposition, the press conference, and the lawsuit that need to be reviewed."

"I went to the board meeting this morning. The only thing of substance that they spoke about was whether to fire the new accountant. I suggested having him supervised instead and the meeting was over. End of discussion. I also had your scared secretary come in and type up everything that was said in case you wanted notes. And by the way, I don't know what you did to that poor girl but she is absolutely terrified of you, you should say you are sorry. I handed off the deposition and the lawsuit to your _lawyers_ who will have their separate revision to you by noon tomorrow for you to review and correct. You know, _lawyers_, who are paid to handle these kinds of things. I found your notes for the press conference and decided that it was going to be more of a speech than anything so one of your board members did it. Don't worry, I photocopied your notes to make sure he followed it word for word, which he did. Now would you please clam down?"

He continued to glare.

She rolled her eyes and got out of the chair, "Would you please stop that. I swear, your face is going to become permanently like that if you keep it up."

"How the hell did you even know my schedule?" he accused.

"It's called your I Phone," she argued.

"It's locked," he tried again. "Not to mention it has every possible security system in it imaginable."

"Unless you know the password. And by the way, your birthday? Please, that only took me like three tries."

"You broke into my stuff?"

"Yes, I did. Are you going to sue me now? You'll have to wait a couple of days, your lawyers are busy. No, I also rescheduled the presentation on the new firewall you are promoting for next week instead of tomorrow. They were more than willing to oblige. Also, there is a package of papers that were sent here from China but I had them redelivered to your office at Kaiba Corp, no sense in bringing home what you don't have to. Now, how about we all go eat the nice snacks I prepared, because I am sure you are starving, as Mokuba explains to me why he should not have to clean his room."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the larger living room. This one was designed for company what with its high ceilings, white furniture and rich atmosphere. As soon as they stepped in Mokuba gulped. He knew Tea would be here, but he didn't know his brother was up already. "Hey big bro."

Kaiba, not knowing how to take the day so far, continued to let Tea have the reigns. Together they sat down on the couch. Tea grabbed a sugar cookie and began to interrogate. "Go ahead."

Mokuba gulped but kept his ground, "I'm old enough that I should not have to clean my room. I know where everything is when it's not clean, so it's like an organized chaos. I can never find anything when it_ is_ clean, so that's no good. So really, when you think about it, it is clean when it's not and it's dirty when it's clean. It would be a lot easier if I did not have to worry about getting in trouble when it's _my_ type of clean."

Tea signed, "What's under your bed Mokuba?"

He froze, "Um…clothes?"

She looked at him in disbelief, "What's really under your bed Mokuba?"

He sighed dejectedly, "A pizza and a bottle of coke."

She shook her head, "Correction, a fuzzy box of pizza, a half eaten box of gushers, a candy bar rapper because the chocolate melted onto the carpet and an empty bottle of coke. This is of course followed up by a pair of shoes you wore when you were five, three pairs of shirts and a busted up math book from the second grade."

He growled slightly as he slouched his shoulders, "I'll go clean my room now."

He was out of the room and through the door. Tea shook her head, "Little boys are so gross."

* * *

Kaiba couldn't believe his day. Tea had continued bossing him around, dragging him around, and frankly stopping him every time he tried to sneak off to his office. Briefly he wondered what the hell had gotten into her but soon realized that in her own Tea way, she was taking care of him. It was odd, being taken care of by someone. At first he wasn't sure what to do, or how to handle it, but it seemed Tea had taken care of that as well. Before he could really stress about her being nice, he was sitting face down on a patted table getting a massage. An hour later he was eating dinner and being sent to bed.

So here he was, lying down in his bed at a loss for what to do. He should probably be sleeping but his mind was not even close to resting. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he could rest after a confusing day like today. Why was she trying to take care of him? It wasn't like they had ever gotten along. It wasn't like he had asked her to.

Kaiba quickly flipped the covers over and headed down the stairs. He wanted something to eat, maybe that would calm him down. The billionaire was quickly standing in his kitchen as he immediately looked towards the fringe. Without even thinking about it he walked over and pulled out the last piece of carrot cake. After sitting down and grabbing a fork he began to eat. But before he could place even one bite in his mouth Seto smiled.

He rather liked being taken care of.

* * *

Firevixen73-Hey everyone, I hoped you liked it. I told you I would get a chapter up!


	20. Play Times Over

Seto Kaiba knew something was wrong from the moment he had woken up that morning. After a week of nothing but, quite honestly, the bliss of having Tea take care of him, he thought his life was finally going in the right direction. He had even been back at work for two days now, and things were running smoothly. His little break from reality seemed to have rejuvenated him in a way he never would have expected, which is why this feeling of dread had thrown him off kilter so much. He had woken up two hours earlier than necessary, a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach which prevented him from a few more relaxing hours asleep. Seto was not normally one to go off of instincts either; usually logic was the more helpful route, but there were moments where he knew to follow his gut.

Something was wrong.

So when he left for work that day he was acutely aware of his surroundings. He paid more than special attention to all the documents placed in front of him. He canceled his later in the afternoon meetings and ate lunch in his office, away from people and their potential problems.

Still, something still felt off.

Deciding to indulge in his paranoia, something he must have picked up from Tea because only she would do something revolving this much around a _feeling_ of all things, he called Mokuba's school, just to check in.

"Hello, this is the Principal speaking," came the older voice Seto somewhat recognized.

"This is Kaiba, get my brother on the line," spoke Seto in his all too familiar business mode. In his mind he had a mission, talk to his brother, and it was going to be carried out. There was no reason or want of pleasantries here.

He immediately felt the older woman stiffen at the mentioning of the Kaiba name, a response he would normally relish in but today he did not have the time, "S-sir, we cannot just pull him out of class like-"

Seto did not wait for a response, "You have twenty seconds."

"…Right away sir."

Seto heard the phone drop as the woman rushed out of the office in order to personally collect the younger of the two Kaiba brothers. Seto briefly scanned a few documents sitting leisurely on his desk in an attempt to pass time productively. Most were proposals, revised deals and so on. It wasn't until he reached the bottom of the stack that something caught his eye. The name 'Guardian' was printed in bold letters at the top of the heading. He immediately recognized the name from Isis's story of the Guardian family. While he was still more then skeptical about the monsters from the familiar game being real, Kaiba had ordered a private eye to investigate whatever they could find.

Apparently this man was more helpful on finding information about the Guardian family then he was about Tea's mysterious past.

"Big brother?"

Kaiba briefly returned his attention to the phone, "My secretary called your cell phone earlier, why did you not answer?"

"…Umm, I always turn it off during school. You know that, since everyone always gets theirs taken away if it goes off when the teacher is talking."

Kaiba turned his attention back towards the document as his brother continued to talk. Apparently, there was a father who died about ten years back, he had three sons, two of which who were now dead. The father died of a heart medication overdose about ten years ago, maybe a few months over, and the first son died in a fire in his house. The second was killed in a knifing incident about three years ago. Strange, the father he could understand, it happened more than people would care to admit. The two brothers were a different matter. A fire? In the middle of the desert that a multimillion dollar house could not put out? Aside from the latest sprinkler system there would have been security to the maximum keeping the man safe, being there to pull the man from any potential disasters. The same could be said about the second brother. With the wealth of their family they would have had many body guards to protect him from a simple mugging. According to the records he was also an at home body builder and was ranked rather high in national fight clubs before his death.

"Big brother? I kind of need to go back to class now. I am sure everyone is wondering why the principal came in and yanked me out of the class during my speech. Running down the halls while dragging me probably didn't help," continued Mokuba.

"Head straight home after school, do nothing else you hear me? No friends, no games no anything. In fact, if I can I might be picking you up so watch for me," spoke Kaiba as he hung up the phone. His attention was entirely captured by the information on the last brother.

"Alec," he whispered out loud. The man had come into quite a fortune, but there was a large dispute over the possibility of a half sibling. According to the file a woman had came to the original head of the Guardian clan claiming pregnancy. He gave her five thousand to take care of it and they never heard from her again. Unfortunately the woman had given a fake name so when he checked to make sure the abortion was carried out, there was nothing to follow.

Perhaps there was more to this story then even he was willing to admit.

Seto looked over at the clock to see that he had about an hour until he needed to leave to pick up Mokuba, and that was if the files he processed went through, all the meetings were rescheduled and no one stopped him on the way down. Quickly he paged his secretary and ordered her to call his driver, saying that there was no need to head to Mokuba's school. He was going to make this work, no one would stop him. Not when his gut was telling him something bad was about to go down.

With one last look at his cell phone, Seto Kaiba did the unthinkable.

It only took a few rings but she eventually picked up, "Tea Gardner speaking."

"Gardner, get inside."

"…Kaiba? As in Seto Kaiba? What are you doing calling me? What are you doing telling me what to do? I thought we went over how much I hate it when people do that," she argued angrily.

"Something bad is going to happen, but I am not entirely sure what. If anyone by the name Guardian approaches you call security and myself directly," he said while flipping through the documents. According to the file Alec's private jet landed in Domino about thirty minutes ago. "Tell your friends to be cautious as well."

"Guardian? Are you sure that is the name?" something in her tone, the fear she radiated but so rarely displayed, told him to stop looking at the file.

"Has someone approached you?" he asked angrily. If someone, anyone, had slipped through his security he was going to be mad. Especially if it was this Alec Guardian character. Something in his body detested the man, but he had no idea why. Perhaps they had met somewhere? Quite honestly, when it came to big money getting rid of family members was nothing new, so it wasn't what was causing this intense hatred. It was something else, something he felt like he needed to remember. But would this guy really go after Tea? He had merely called her as a precaution since she was staying at his house, not because he ever considered her a potential target.

"…No, no one with that name had approached me. Why, what is going on?" she asked almost cautiously.

He debated hanging up now that she had the most pertinent information relevant to her. She needed to be safe and inside of his house, there really wasn't anything else she needed to know. Of course, any other woman would be terrified and do what they were told, but he was stuck with the willful one. If he didn't explain, she would most likely show up at the most inopportune moments just to tell him off for keeping her out of the loop. So, he regretfully gave in, "A man named Alec Guardian is in town. I believe he is looking for something, or someone. Just, don't leave the grounds."

Then he hung up. He knew she would be angry but right now her safety was more his concern, that and Mokuba's. He quickly grabbed his white trench coat and headed out of his plush office. His secretary scrambled to her feet at his presence, "I called-"

"Save it, I am leaving, hold my calls."

The elevator doors opened and he stepped inside and headed to the company garage, completely ignoring the two employees who tried to flag him down. There were more important things to think about right now. Normally he would wait for his limo but he didn't have time. Instead he was going to take one of the cars he always left here at the office for cases just like this.

His only thought was that he needed to pick up Mokuba.

The feeling in the pit of his stomach was growing, and all too rapidly.

* * *

Tea glanced at the phone in her hand. The bastard had just hung up on her. He had told her what to do, gave a half ass answer as to why, and then he hung up on her. Well hell, he certainly hadn't lost the touch on how to annoy the crap out of her while she was away.

You know, it was moments like this that she wondered why she loved him.

Tea's hands immediately went up to her mouth in shock, even though she hadn't said anything out loud.

Love? When had that come into the picture? She didn't _love_ him. I mean, Seto Kaiba? Sure, she _liked_ him, but love and like were _way_ different! One was tolerance of all the stupid things people do, like when Joey eats like a caveman in public settings; the other was the feeling of endearment like when Seto would find a particularly hard problem in the morning crossword puzzles and would get that little crease in his forehead while glaring at anyone who offered help. See, there was a huge difference!

She did not, under any circumstances love Seto flippin Kaiba. It just wasn't possible. He was rude, and arrogant, and hated one of her favorite cards the friendship fairy. I mean, what kind of decent person hates the friendship fairy card? It's all about flipping friendship!

So no, she was not in love with Seto Kaiba. I mean, how could she be? He was the most arrogant son of a bitch to walk the planet. His hobbies included annoying the hell out of her, tormenting everyone she cared about, working himself to death, being anti-social to the point of willful isolation and damn, she could write a hallmark card off of this.

Title named, 'You are everything I _don't_ want in a man'.

"Dammit, I _don't_ love him," she said angrily to herself, like it would somehow change the way her mind was thinking about this new problem.

"Yes you do," came a masculine voice to her right.

Tea instantly turned around and glared at the security guard Seto had appointed her, "I do _not_! He's mean, and always telling me what to do, and could a man get any more conceited? And…and you don't even know what I'm talking about so stop telling me I love him, because I don't!"

Tea huffed and turned back around on the bench. She crossed her arms over her chest like some little kid and glared at the pretty snow in front of her.

If she would have been paying attention she would have seen the security man's right eye brow lift in an amused fashion. So maybe it was best that she wasn't paying attention, because she was already in a mood to argue, even if that argument had to be with herself.

After a few moments of tense silence, and the intense feeling of him not believing her last statement grating on her nerves, she turned back towards him in order to argue her point more thoroughly, "Not to mention that he drives me crazy most the time. Why in the world does he have to do that anyways? What did I ever do to him?"

The man smirked as he enjoyed playing this particular game. The woman was very amusing, and in an extraordinary amount of denial, "You drove him crazy first."

Tea blanched, "I did not! He was all, 'I don't need people' way before I was ever 'Get over yourself'!"

"Let's call it a tie then. You and Master Kaiba drive each other equally insane and it started the moment you met, casting the blame on no one," he tried to reason. Though, he could not help the smirk that formed at her realization of his sentence. He watched as her face turned pale and her arms began to tremble in disbelief.

Women were always so amusing.

"K-Kaiba? Who said anything about Kaiba?" she stuttered while turning back around to sit properly on her bench. Apparently she was done with this conversation.

The guard let out a full on laugh at her behavior. Breaking protocol he moved from behind her, his appointed position, and sat next to her on the bench, "How old do you think I am?"

Tea turned her head slightly towards him, "I don't know, thirty something?"

The man smirked and Tea immediately scowled, more angry at herself then anything. It wasn't her fault if she guessed wrong, she was horrible at ages. "I guess you can say that I am about that old, maybe a little closer to early forties. I have aged rather nicely if I do say so."

Tea smirked, glad to know that she had under guessed someone rather than over guessed their age. No one likes to be told they look older then they are, unless you're a 15 year old girl wanting to be asked to a dance by a senior boy of course. Then it is perfectly okay.

"Well, I can say that I have been around for some time, and I know love when I see it, and trust me, my eyes have seen a lot."

Tea immediately glanced at the man's dazzling blue eyes as they twinkled mischievously. From the moment she first saw him she was mesmerized by them. She had never seen that particular shade of blue, a deep huge but still light enough to reflect the sapphire of a cloudless sky. That was it, blue like the sky, like she could fly just by looking at them, "I am sorry if I am staring it's just, your eyes are rather beautiful."

Tea closed her own eyes and scowled internally. Who the hell tells a guy that their eyes are beautiful? Why did she feel the need to speak out loud whatever came into her head?

The man just laughed, "Thank you, they are a family trait from my mother's side. Don't worry, my brother's and I are more then used to the reaction."

Tea immediately perked at the topic of family, mainly because it led away from her little crush on Kaiba, "You have family? Do they live here?"

"No, my eldest brother died some time ago. He, like me, lived to protect, he just never found the right person worth protecting. He died for a man that gave little thought to him at all. My other two are around the world somewhere. You never really know with them. Both are younger than me and more rambunctious then three year olds. Drove my mother crazy, since they had no intention of learning family customs when they could be rolling in mud fighting with each other. Perhaps one day they will grow up but for now they can do what they want," spoke the man fondly.

"…You speak as if you haven't seen them in a very long time," said Tea cautiously. Family was a touchy topic for her, so she never brought up the subject with others, feeling like a rather large hypocrite whenever she did.

"It's been about ten years, when I first started working for the Kaiba family actually. So yes, it has been a while," he said while smiling up at the sun and leaning backwards on the bench.

"You haven't visited them?" asked Tea in disbelief. While she never tracked down her mother, there wasn't a year that went by that she did not visit Mickey.

"I never felt safe leaving the young Master Kaiba in someone else's hands. He may appear to be the world's coldest and ruthless businessman but, he is so much more. I have known him since he was just a child, and he trusts me as much as I trust him. There is very little in this world that I would not do for him," his blue eyes twinkled in the light as he watched her soak in the information provided. "This is why I know that you love him. The two of you are not as complicated as you originally appear, but perhaps that is my experience with stubborn employers talking. I can say that your feelings for him would transcend time, as would his for you."

Tea scoffed, "What? Loathing? The man can't stand me, which is why it would be ridiculous to ever love him. It would just hurt later on; the man cannot love anyone other than Mokuba. Not because he can't, but because he doesn't want to."

Again the man's smile grew, "I have a feeling that given the chance he would make an exception for you…and anyone you might give him."

Tea choked on her spit, a very undignified act but one that happened none the less. When she finally gained her bearings, and her ability to breathe, she turned to the guard, "Did you just tell me to give Kaiba _children_? As in those small whinny things that he probably _drives_ over?"

"You would make a good mother, a good wife. He would also make a good husband and father, but he would need someone patient and stubborn enough to show him that."

Tea blinked once, then twice. "You know, I don't know your name." Internally Tea was thinking about having Kaiba sending him to a mental facility, and she would need his name to do that.

"Most my friends just call me Drake, since Dragon sounds like a biker gang leader or something," before she could ask what he meant the man pulled up his sleeve and revealed a portion of a dragon tattoo. It traveled up his arm, and she could really only see the red tongue and part of the mouth, but it was huge. From what she could determine it probably covered most of his body, from his arms, to his torso to his legs.

He pulled the sleeve back down, "It is a rather distinguishable trait and it seemed to stick."

"…Earlier you said something about family customs," she tried.

Drake nodded and she continued.

"I got the impression that your mother would not have liked that, since it seems like you came from a rather well rounded family."

Drake laughed, "Oh yes, I come from a very prestigious one actually. We had a large piece of land that was built to oversee smaller pieces where many of our family members lived. We were given the task of looking over the land that the head of the family, well, couldn't take the time to manage. So, we would handle many of his estates. I was trained since I was a little boy to carry out all of those duties, as were my brothers. Since there were four of us we divided the land into North, East, West and South. It didn't last that way very long, maybe fifteen years, but it was my life. If my mother saw this now, her second eldest getting body tattoos in a random parlor in Barcelona, well, she would probably disown me."

"You've traveled? Oh, I have always wanted to travel across the European Countries, and well, everywhere. Are they as amazing as people say? Be honest, I don't want to waist all of my money to go there only to hate it," she said pleadingly.

"Oh, they are wonderful. Master Kaiba has many trips there every year, I am sure he would be more than willing to take you," cut in Drake.

Tea visibly frowned, "Had to get him back into the conversation didn't you? You couldn't just let me have my sanity and let it drop? Maybe I should talk to Kaiba about the mental problems some of his staff have."

Drake quickly grabbed her hand and pointed towards the nearest tree, letting her own arm be her guide. The tree sat right in front of the sun, which was just peaking over the branches. While it did not compare to a sunset, it was still rather beautiful. "See that? See what you would have missed all because you were too stubborn to look in my direction when I brought up the young master? Do not blind yourself because you are embarrassed."

Drake let her hand drop and continued on talking to her. "I once knew this couple, who honestly remind me of you and the young master. Eventually, after much fighting, they were engaged to be wed. On the eve of their wedding everything was destroyed because of the black heart of the young girl's brother. They never wed, and because of such hatred they have spent the rest of eternity apart. Take every moment you have and make the most out of it. You never know what tomorrow may withhold from you."

Tea looked back over at the tree that had the small rays of sunlight poking through it. If anyone knew about life throwing you unexpected twists it was her. She had been dealt more than her fare share of unfair cards, but was this another one? Even _liking_ Kaiba was a risk, but if she loved him…she'd break. The man didn't love her, he spent most of his time either ignoring or tormenting her. Hell, he hated her so much that his loathing started in one century and followed him to this one. That had to say something right?

"Look, I need to check something out. Kaiba probably already texted you but someone is in town that has him spooked. He wants me to head back to the mansion but I want to make a quick stop and make sure my friends are doing okay," she said while brushing off the snow on the back of her jeans. She had forgotten how cold it was in her time, since she no longer hand the desert sun to keep her warm.

Drake stood as well, "Is this someone I should be looking out for?"

Tea briefly considered not telling him, after all, this was her fight. Alec was most certainly here looking for her and eventually the man would track her down. She wasn't under any delusion that he was here for a brotherly chat with his baby sister. At the same time, she probably should tell him. It looked as if Seto had forgotten to key him in, based off of his question anyways, which was rather odd for the man. He was a rather meticulous person. Drake had also been scouting the park when she had originally been on the phone with Kaiba, so he wouldn't have heard her mention the Guardian last name.

"His name is Alec, Alec Guardian, though I have no idea what he looks like," which was the honest truth. Tea had never met or seen him in this time or in ancient Egypt. She wouldn't know him if he walked up to her right now and offered her a subscription magazine.

"A-Alec? Alec Guardian?" stuttered the man.

Tea froze. She knew that tone. It was the same tone she had when Seto had revealed to her that Alec was not only alive, but in her city probably looking for her. In an instant Tea swung around on her heels in order to properly face her new found friend. Something was wrong, did he know Alec? Did he work for Alec? There were so many questions that she wanted answered, questions that she was wary to ask. "You know him?"

The man's composure was back in place, not an inkling of worry on his face, "No."

It was a one word answer, an answer that told her everything she needed to know. Drake was not who he said he was.

She immediately brought her arm up in a jabbing motion but he quickly dodged. She countered with a right kick and an uppercut. Drake easily caught her kick and turned to evade her punch. Tea took advantage of the hold and twisted her body with a huge thrust effectively knocking him off balance. He slipped momentarily and leaped into the air when she did a fast roundhouse kick.

That's when he flew.

Tea blinked rapidly as Drake landed, from a single leap off the ground, onto the lowest tree branch in the nearby tree, one that was a good six feet up in the air. He stood proudly, but cautiously, almost stunned that he was forced to reveal such a move.

She pointed at him threateningly, "You are a Guardian member!"

He stayed in the tree, "And how do you know about the Guardian clan? Did Harpy finally tell you?"

Tea growled and ignored the question, "Do you work for Alec?" she screamed in anger. Here she was, talking about her possible love interest with someone who wanted to kill her. She felt incredibly stupid at the moment. No, more than stupid, more like furious beyond belief. She probably just put Seto in way more danger than she had realized.

"I will answer your question when you have answered mine. How do you know of my Clan?" he said calmly, but somehow still fiercely.

Tea was angry, and in no mood to negotiate answers. It was hard as hell to talk about her feelings for Seto, and now she finds out that the person she just revealed everything to was about to betray her to the man who wanted her dead! In her rage she summoned the familiar warmth that allowed the release of her frustration. In her hand sat a larger than life fireball that licked its scorching flames around her skin, "Kaiba trusted you!"

Drake smirked, "I see you have mastered your powers. A strange feet for someone who was not granted them until a few months ago."

The fire grew as it traveled up her arm and surrounded her body.

"I am here to protect you, that I can promise. I have never worked for Alec, only your father. I was set free from his rule ten years ago when Alec killed him through an overdose. After that you were declared my master, and I have been at your command ever since," he tried to reason.

Tea's fire immediately dispersed. It was not because she believed his story, nor was it because she trusted him. It was because she heard laughter. As soon as the fire was gone a small girl came running around the corner, a snowball in hand. Not two feet behind her came a boy, maybe two years older, his own snowball ready for a fight. It seemed they were at war. When they ran past Tea both stopped in their tracks and looked down at their feet.

Instead of the pearly white snow that covered the rest of the park, there was water.

Together they looked at Tea, then back at the water puddles. Neither noticed the man in the tree. Eventually the older brother decided it wasn't worth it to try and figure out the snow, and threw his snowball at his sister. She, having completely forgotten about the fight, turned and charge at him.

Eventually they were around the bend again and out of sight. When Tea turned back towards the tree she was shocked to find Drake gone. She quickly turned around; scanning the area for the man she was looking for. Eventually she found him, sitting on the very bench they had spoken on earlier. He motioned to the seat she had previously sat in but Tea remained standing.

"I suppose you want me to explain?" he asked.

Tea didn't even acknowledge that with a response.

"I guess I should start from when your father died. You see, most of us were, in a way, redistributed to your older brothers. Nearly a fourth of us were not. We knew then that history was repeating itself and that somewhere out there, you were alive. Many looked for you but no one ever succeeded. Alec and the others tried too, but they failed as well. I on the other hand, knew of your fate and its ties with the young master Kaiba. Eventually you would find him, eventually you two would need each other just as you had centuries before. So, I tied myself to the Kaiba family, waiting for you to come back."

Tea lessoned the threatening pose of her stance, but only by a little. "Then are you the only one? Are there others who did what you did? Track down the people I knew in the past and integrate themselves in their lives?"

Drake smiled, "Many tried with Kaiba, but I removed all who were not loyal to you. As the Kaiba brothers aged, well, they were less trusting of their employees and hired fewer applicants. There is one maid who came about two years ago, she is one of yours, but that is all I allowed in the mansion. I felt that too many would be suspicious, so instead, they became a part of your life when you reemerged."

"Mako? Mai?"

He smiled, "Exactly."

"…How come no one could find me? I knew who my father was, my mother ranted about him enough. And with the magic the Guardian Clan has, how was I not discovered?" she asked.

"Your bloodline protects you from being tracked by any other Guardian member. There is also the fact that you had help, from about five thousand years in the past. High Priest Seth had the insight to realize that Alec, or his followers, might try something further down the road and had historical tablets carved saying that you were a boy. It was a good thing he did so, because before Alec could be destroyed by you he cast a very powerful spell. It would erase all memory of you, and nearly anything that had to do with you. He sealed the remaining Guardian members into a world of nothingness, it is similar to a black hole. Only those most loyal to you were able to remember the truth, a gift you bestowed on us and the Millennium Items before you passed. You, and your brothers were a rare breed and would be born again without your memory, thus giving him another chance to kill you and gain control, but you would have the ancient tablets to remind you of what you were. The human Guardian descendants took these tablets and passed them through the ages waiting for the rebirth of the Father, your father. When the brothers were reborn they followed the teachings of the tablets and became the people they were all those years ago."

Tea's stance completely relaxed as she took in what Drake said, "You mean to tell me, that this is all happening because Alec refused to die? You were sealed in a black hole for thousands of years because he did not want to lose?"

Drake nodded his head, "When your father was reborn we were released, but only to do his bidding. Most of us remain there, waiting to be summoned back out."

Tea once again looked at the man standing before her. He looked worn and tired, like he had seen too much. Upon closer inspection she looked further into his eyes. The same bright blue was there, like a beacon, like… "The four lands? Four brothers? You're a Blue Eye's White Dragon aren't you?"

Drake smiled, almost remember something, "Yes, and you used to ride on my back during the warm nights and we would spend the whole time chasing the moon. My younger brother's would often join in the hunt; nothing gave you greater pleasure then our late night flights."

She took a few steps backwards, "Seto, he had a Blue Eye's working for him all this time?"

Drake took a quick step towards her and reached for her hands in an almost loving manner, "In the past he would often join us. It was one of the few things you refused to fight about. I suppose somewhere inside of him he remembers the feeling, and wants to live it again."

Briefly Tea closed her eyes as an image flashed before her. The moon was the most luminescent white she had ever seen it, the stars surrounded it like a patch of fireflies. She barely noticed the wind running through her hair, the feeling of being on top of the world. What she focused on was the firm arm surrounding her middle, the warmth of another body pressing her towards him as they flew through the sky.

She knew that grip. It was the same grip that surrounded her when she woke up in the middle of a nearly abandoned room just last week, the one where Seto Kaiba held her throughout the whole night on a couch.

Tea looked up at the man before her, "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't Mai? I don't understand," she whispered as her eyes began to water.

Drake hugged her close and let the tears fall. Tea wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him like a long lost daughter would her father.

"Because you did not deserve to have your life ripped from you. It was a burden none of us wanted you to carry," he said affectionately. Before she could fall deeper into her questions Drake pulled her away, "For many years I considered you the child I never had, and I regret asking the woman I see as a daughter to do this but I must ask anyway. If he is here in Domino then he knows. Alec will by now have remembered that you are a woman, that the tablets lied. He will also remember your affection for the High Priests younger brother, Mokuba."

Tea pulled away as the situation hit her.

Mokuba.

* * *

He was gone.

Mokuba was gone.

Seto could have killed something, and was currently trying his hardest not to punch his fist through the nearest wall.

According to the security cameras a black limo had pulled up at the end of school. A black limo with his plates, one that Mokuba would never think twice about getting into. Seto had of course immediately called his secretary only to find out that both she and his driver were locked in the garage basement tied up and unconscious.

Surprisingly enough, the first thing he did was call Tea.

To his frustration she did not answer. What's more, Drake, his most trusted faculty member was not answering either. He prayed to whatever being was listening that Tea had informed the guard about Alec being here, since it had apparently slipped his mind earlier. That was enough to indicate to him that this was going to be a rotten as hell day, he never forgot to inform Drake about anything.

So now he had two people missing, two people that he actually cared about being missing.

"Where the hell are they?" he yelled at the man in a black suit that was standing behind him.

His guard immediately dropped his phone in fright as he apologized to whoever was on the other line, "Sir, we have all the roads blocked and people scouring the city for Ms. Gardner and young Master Mokuba. Please, give us some more time to-"

He had heard enough. His staff was incompetent, no, this whole world was incompetent. Seto quickly walked over to his car, his long strides making it easy to reach it, even with his entire team swarming the area. When he was inside he let lose a small breath in an attempt to calm down. It did nothing to help him. So instead he let his rage surface and punched the dashboard as hard as he could. When he pulled his wrist away he saw a large dent, and for some reason it gave him a small feeling of satisfaction.

Seto then flipped his phone open and once again checked the tracking device on Mokuba's phone. He knew it must have been disabled by Alec but he couldn't help but check.

No signal.

For more than a few minutes he considered hitting his steering wheel for not slipping the same device into Tea's cell phone, since then he could at least have a chance of finding _one_ of them. Drake of course, had no such tracker, which he was once again beating himself over.

Then suddenly Seto's phone rang.

To his disbelief Mokuba's number and picture popped up onto the screen. The number he had called about thirty times within the last half hour, all without answer, was calling him.

Seto immediately grabbed his phone, "Mokuba? Where are you? Tell me what is-"

"So many questions Mr. Kaiba, do give your brother some time to breathe."

Kaiba had never heard the voice before but somehow he knew exactly who it was. He felt that familiar feeling of hatred for a man he was positive he had never met, "What could you possibly want with my brother Alec? He has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh, he has more to do with this than you think. You see, I know my sister and she would never let anything happen to an innocent, let alone this _particular_ innocent," said Alec almost reassuringly.

"Sister? I've never heard of you having a sister?" said Kaiba as he pulled out the portable tracking system he kept in his car for just such an occasion. Well, it was more like a system designed to hack into an incoming call and upload their calls, messages, phone numbers and schedule, so it was more than equipped to trace a simple phone call.

"Yes, just another way you screwed me over Seto, or should I call you Seth? You see, the confusing thing about having past lives is that I never know what to call others. My father had the foresight to recognize who I was and kept it simple and named my brothers and I accordingly. Of course, my little tramp of a sister wasn't so easy. Her mother did not stick to her former name so now I am not sure whether to call her _Anzu_, or _Tea_. You can see where the complication arises."

Seto completely stopped what he was doing as Alec's mocking tone reached him.

"Choices, choices. Oh well, it won't matter in a little bit. She will no longer be your problem by the end of the day, of that I assure you. Aren't you excited Kaiba? The two annoying distractions that have kept you from your precious business will no longer be around to hinder you. I guess in a way, you should be thanking me."

The dial tone went dead but Seto did not move.

His mind was spinning much too fast to function properly, he had received much too much information in one moment and his brain was busy calculating everything.

Tea? Anzu? Guardian? Mokuba? Alec? Past life?

Seto slowly looked down at the tracker in his hand and saw a bright red light flashing, and an address sitting harmlessly next to it.

The brown haired blue eyed man looked up at the road and mentally calculated the time it would take to get there…about twenty minutes without traffic and if he went about forty miles over the speed limit.

Then there was of course the quick stop he was going to have to make before he got there.

* * *

Tea stared up at the docks towering around her. She had tracked down Mokuba using her sight. Alec was unfortunately unavailable to her since his own Guardian blood protected him. While she was disappointed over the fact, Mokuba was her main concern. She had no doubt in her mind that he was there, waiting for her arrival. She also held no illusions about this meeting, and by meeting, she actually meant meeting. For some reason, she knew that before anything went down, her and Alec were going to have a little talk.

"This peer has been abandoned for about fifteen years now, no one will be here except who he wants," spoke Drake slowly.

"Then he intends for it to end tonight?" she asked cautiously as they made their way down the dock. There was no use hiding themselves from any potential guards, the man had to know that they were here.

"If I had to guess? He has about a six mile radius where he can make all the commotion he wants. Expect a battle. Can you summon as well?" asked Drake.

Tea shook her head 'no'. "Haven't quite figured it out yet. I have been trying but nothing so far, any tips?"

"Try harder?"

Tea glared.

Together they made it to the building standing at the base of the doc, it standing completely out on the water. Drake had expected more of a greeting, at least a dozen men, but Tea had calmly explained that there were only two guards standing at the door. So, when they arrived neither were incredibly surprised to see said guards. The inside though, was a different story.

"Master Alec has been expecting you."

Tea scoffed, "Oh, I am sure he has."

Together they walked into the building. The first thing Tea saw when stepping into the structure was metal and wood; she was surrounded by boats, anchors and rusty tools. In the middle of it all sat Mokuba tied up to a dirty chair, metal chains locking his body into where he sat.

At his side stood a man that Tea had never seen before, but one that her powers instinctually flared up at. His hair was like hers, a light brown cut short in the typical style seen today. It was jelled in a sophisticated manner that just screamed authority. He was quiet hansom in his business suit, one that did nothing to cover his tall and lean build. His eyes though, unlike her own blue ones, his were the darkest brown she had ever seen.

"So how is my little sister doing?" he spoke casually, like he wasn't the root of her anxiety for the day.

"She's a little pissed if you really want to know," she spat back.

"Yes, this one was always so important to you," he grabbed the wide eyed Mokuba's face and harshly turned him to face Tea, "Now tell my beloved baby sister that I have been nothing but courteous to you during your stay with me. I even left you conscious, which is indeed rare for my victims."

Tea had to mentally restrain herself from straight up attacking the man in front of her as he placed his filthy hands on Mokuba, "Touch him again and I will rip your heart from your throat."

Alec dropped his hold, "Manners little sister. Father would be appalled if he could hear the way you speak to others."

He was enjoying mocking her, of that she was sure of.

Then Alec did something surprising. He started to walk towards Tea. When he was about a foot from her he carefully reached out and looped his finger around a curl of her hair. Tea did not gratify him with a response, but instead remained as stiff as a log. She did on the other hand feel Drake immediately tense up and pose for a strike.

Alec slowly glanced behind her and smirked, "I see you brought one of your most loyal dogs with you. Pity that you did not muzzle him. Family reunions are so rare, I would hate for this time between us to be spoiled."

Tea's response came out faster than her brain processed it, "Careful, he has a particular habit of biting son-of-a-bitch bastards."

He did not drop her curl, but instead wrapped another around his finger, intertwining the two, "In case you are forgetting dear sister, you are the bastard child here. An alcoholic mother and a dead father that you never knew, yes, I believe that is the prime definition of a bastard child."

"Don't kid yourself, I knew exactly who he was. I knew his address, I knew his affiliations and I certainly knew he had three sons. My mother never once stopped talking about him, and it was only a matter of time before they invented this crazy thing called a search engine. I just didn't care enough to have anything to do with him or his family. I on the other hand, must have been much harder for you to find."

She suddenly felt a hard and excruciatingly painful yank on her hair but somehow managed to keep herself upright. When she looked back up into Alec's eyes she let loose a small gasp. His glare was the coldest thing she had ever seen.

"When I found you, I could only think of one thing. That it is a shame really, you are rather beautiful and have a mind that could keep up with mine. It made me slightly reluctant to kill you. You know, I grew up reading those tablets written by the High Priest. It was always strange the feeling that the bastard brother, you it seems, would evoke in me. When reading about you I would feel hate, but longing. I would despise everyone I saw, but take multiple women into by bed that very night. I would want to kill, but more importantly, I would want to possess. It confused me for so many years until I remembered something, something that had evaded me until about a month ago. It came to me in a dream actually. A woman I had never met before was about to get married. She was standing there, looking at her reflection in the Nile as she twirled so happily. I was furious, even more so when I saw that blasted guardian tattoo on her hip. In all my life I had never felt such anger."

Tea once again felt her hair being yanked harshly but this time she was brought to her knees. She felt the concrete of the floor scrape her jeans but managed to only let out a small whimpering sound.

"You were getting married. The woman destined for _me_, was getting married! To that good for nothing _Priest_!"

Tea's head snapped up at his outrage, "What?"

Before she knew it Drake was thrown to the ground right in front of her, three fully transformed Guardian members were holding him face down on the concrete, a fourth was continuously kicking him. She could hear his muffled yells but was unable to do anything, no matter how much she struggled.

Alec yanked her upwards, away from the scene and captured her jaw in his hands, "You belonged to me, back then and right now. No one can touch you but me!"

His slap hit her harder than anything she could have ever imagined. She immediately felt herself flying across the room as his strength toppled her over. She landed with a loud thunk on the dirty floor and painfully felt as layers of skin were harshly scraped off her face. But before she could push herself up she felt a strong grip grab her hair at the base of her head and pull her to her feet.

Alec's eyes were nearly black as he stared into her blue ones, "You know, back in Egypt, I remember hating you. You were trying to take everything I had worked for away, everything that was rightfully mine you were stealing it from me. And then you did something different, you gave me a challenge. Life suddenly became interesting. No one had ever broken through my spells like you had; no one had ever successfully thwarted me before. It was after the episode with Ravn that the truth hit me. You were my _reward_, designed for me and me alone. It was then that I knew I had to have you."

She scratched at his hand, effectively drawing blood but he did not flinch. Instead his eyes glistened at the sight of his own life giving blood.

"You are my brother!" she scream at him in disbelief. All this time she had always thought that he was a bastard on a power hunt, but now she knew the truth. He was a fucking lunatic!

Alec laughed, "If something as trivial as family mattered to someone like me, I never would have killed my own. In case you hadn't noticed Tea, I am _god_. I can do what I want, when I want. My power is limitless, and as soon as I," he licked his lips suggestively, "release you of yours you will be like any other Guardian member at my disposal."

The other hand that was holding her face suddenly grew what appeared to be claws as he continued to draw blood by scratching her, "That bastard will see everything taken from him, just like I did all those years ago."

Before she could scream her lungs off Tea felt his lips on her own. She tried to turn, she tried to thrash but it seemed to do nothing more than make him push harder. Then she felt it, something wet and thick forcefully entered her mouth and caressed the inside of her cheek. She tried to bite down but he dug his nails into her face and throat, effectively providing him with a painful open mouth scream from her.

He finally pulled away, but only to bring her body closer to his own, "Don't worry, I will break you, and then I will be your world. You will submit, and believe me when I say that I will take an immense amount of pleasure in shattering that will of yours."

He then kicked her in the gut and she went crashing down in pain.

"Clean yourself up my dear, we have a guest."

Tea tried to stand but her body was giving out. For some reason she could not move. She managed a quick look around to see that she was in a chalk pentagram, with markings clearly dating back to ancient Egypt, one that was apparently draining all her strength. It had about a twelve foot radius, her of course being in the middle. The characters on the ground were glowing a strange hugh, and she could barely make out their meaning. The words 'transfer' and 'submit' seemed to be written the most. That bastard had thrown her here purposefully. Damn, she had forgotten how tricky this guy was.

She once again tried to push herself to her feet, but her energy was draining quickly. The best she could manage was to sort of sit up with her arms, and even then she was relying on her upper body strength more than usually necessary. Tea slowly looked around at her surroundings as she tried to come up with something to help her out. This was one thing that she had not counted on happening.

She had expected death, she had expected a fight.

She had not expected her half brother to drain her powers because he was a possessive freak that claimed infatuation with her.

Carefully, and discretely she looked up at the rafters, then down at the floor where she knew the waves were crashing.

"Don't!" yelled Drake in-between kicks.

"Your powers will drain that much faster if you try to use them while in there!"

Alec suddenly let loose a black energy infused whip onto Drake's back, which she could only guess was being used to shut him up.

She heard him scream in pain but she held back her anger. Drake was suffering to keep her safe, she would not let his help go to waste. Unfortunately, without her powers she could not instigate the second part of her plan. If things continued this way, the fight would be over long before it ever had the chance to begin.

Then Tea heard the unmistakable sound of screeching tires.

Somehow pulling together the strength to cover herself Tea ducked to the ground. In from the port wall came crashing in a black foreign two door something, which she would probably never be able to name. Its windows were tinted so dark that she couldn't see inside, and she could only fathom a guess as to who was inside. Suddenly the car roared back to life as it charged towards Alec. Alec quickly jumped into the air with his god like strength and speed, dodging the thing completely.

The car turned and faced her. For a moment she thought that it was going to attack her as well, and terror hit her. She couldn't move, it would surely kill her on impact.

But even during her streak of fear, Tea's sensitive hearing picked up on what sounded like a chant. She carefully turned her attention back towards Alec, the source, but instead found herself screaming in agony. The pentagram was glowing a bright green, intensifying its attack on her body. As the glow increased Tea's body began to collapse. Her skin was all but on fire, her eyes crying blood from the pressure and the pain of the extraction.

Her scream reached a whole new level and quickly drowned out the sound of the car engine. That was until it was charging towards her. Before it reached the green glow that was extending towards the sky it was suddenly engulfed in a gold light, one that somewhere in her mind, Tea recognized as familiar. She watched as the pentagram seemed to shatter the moment the car touched it, but still it did not slow down. Instead the driver's door opened and a figure leaped out, grabbing her almost unconscious body and rolling on the ground. The car exploded the moment the figure left the car, the gold glow rapidly disintegrating. Tea on the other hand, clutched to the stranger as he pulled her out of the force field, his power somehow protecting her like it had the car just moments before.

It was only when they were effectively out of that cursed pentagram that Tea managed a look at her savior.

Seto.

God, Seto had come to save her.

He had come.

Like some hero in a fairy tale.

Like some banished prince coming home from a war.

He was here.

He had come. No one had ever done that for her before. This was her problem; it wasn't related to Yami, or Joey or Tristan. Someone had come to protect _her_. They weren't leaving her alone to face him, she wasn't alone. Suddenly she felt like the little girl she had been all those years ago, facing her step father, her mother, the beatings, god, the beatings. Only this time, someone was standing up for her. This time she wasn't alone in the world.

Before she could stop herself, or care about her surroundings, Tea reached up, pulling all of her strength together and locked her arms around Seto's neck. She didn't pay attention to his face, she didn't watch his eyes and she sure as hell wasn't paying attention to his hands. Instead she focused on his lips as she closed her eyes and pressed forwards.

The moment their lips met Tea felt pure bliss surround her. She felt happiness, despite the situation, despite the fact that he probably came for Mokuba and she just happened to be a tag along. But most importantly Tea felt at home in his arms, in his embrace, like she had been waiting for this moment her entire life.

Then she felt a malicious energy trying to engulf her.

On instinct she pushed Seto away and they both fell to the floor.

The moment her backside made contact with the ground she saw a stream of darkness disintegrate the spot where the pair had just stood. It had made such a large hole that water splashed onto her feet, and she could feel the wind trapped under the dock flipping around her hair. Thanking her senses, Tea immediately refocused her attention on Alec as she watched his anger rise.

"You bitch! Know your place! Your lips, you skin, your body belongs to me! Not to _him_! I will kill you for your betrayal you little whore!" screamed Alec as the whites of his eyes turned black, now matching the darkness she had witnessed before.

Tea tried to stand but her body was still too weak. She had expelled too much energy to properly defend herself. So instead she watched as a dark ball of energy formed in Alec's hands. She watched helplessly as his hatred made it grow, feeding it with his anger, as he aimed for her petite form.

Then he fired.

She closed her eyes, knowing that she wouldn't stand a chance. She wouldn't be able to dodge it, she wouldn't be able to combat it. This was power that she, even under the best of circumstances, wouldn't stand a chance against.

He was to strong.

Then terrifyingly enough, Seto stepped in front of her.

"No!" she screamed at anyone listening. Her death Tea could handle, but watching Seto die would tear her apart from the inside.

Instead of moving, Seto raised his right hand, just as impact was made. She expected pain, she expected to watch as the love of her life, and apparently past life's, body burn before her very eyes. What she had not expected was to be surrounded by the brightest light she had ever witnessed. It completely surrounded her, the same gold that had protected the car, the same gold that had surrounded them earlier as they made their way through the pentagram.

When the eventually light faded Tea looked on wide eyed as Seto moved his arm from out in front of him to his side, the Millennium Rod resting in his palm, glowing powerfully.

"Congratulations Alec," spoke Seto Kaiba as he lowered his hand, its steadiness doing nothing to convey the anger that was radiating from his body. Seto looked up at the man standing in front of him as he scowled, "you have effectively done what no person has ever done before. You have kidnapped my brother, and attempted to take my woman from me. What's more, you have effectively pissed me off!"

* * *

**Firevixen73**- Wow it has been a while since I updated. Sorry about that. I guess I got caught up in my other stories. I haven't had the chance to read over this chapter for errors yet but I really wanted to post this for you guys. All of you have been great to me, and I love your comments, so I wanted to get this out as soon as I finished it. Enjoy!


	21. Caught

Seto Kaiba was not one to put up with other people. He was not the type of person who let others do whatever they pleased without having to face any sort of consequence. In fact, he rather enjoyed being the person able to show another just how inferior they were. He liked being better, of being able to prove to another person that Seto Kaiba was second to none and it was idiotic to assume otherwise. But this went beyond any type of please, no, this was personal. Alec had not just crossed a line, instead he had crossed a line drawn specifically by the eldest Kaiba brother. Nobody ever did that and lived to tell about it.

The man in front of him did not even flinch as Seto stepped in front of Tea's form protectively. While he wanted to kill the bastard standing in front of him, Tea's safety was first on his list. At this moment, there were very few things he would not consider in relation to her safety. Even so, he planned on skinning Alec for looking at her, let alone having the decency to touch her. He didn't understand what the lunatic meant when Alec declared Tea's body his but Seto was not about to let him think any semblance of his statement was true. No, Tea belonged to him and no one else. No one other than him would ever hold her, he was the only one who would be able to wrap their arms around her for the entire night. Only he would have the pleasure of making her cheeks tint with pink from embarrassment. He was the only one allowed to take in her scent, to feel her warmth engulf him. What's more, _she_ was the only one allowed to take care of _him_.

Tea would forever be the only woman he allowed near him, that he would let close. He would protect her and she would protect him. Anyone who got in the way of that was just plain going to be gotten rid of.

Alec watched as the priest he hated so much blocked his view of Tea. With a growl he ordered Seto to move but the stubborn man did not even flinch. Alec nearly pounced at his defiance, "No, I should not punish my woman for being seduced by you. You are the problem here, she was weak and I understand that. You must be killed, there is no other option. Her mouth will then be scrubbed with coal in order to get your disgusting presence off of her."

Tea, understanding that Alec was more than unstable, he was a complete lunatic, clutched to the pant leg standing in front of her. She just wanted this to be over, she just wanted everything to be done. She wanted Alec gone from her life, she wanted him to disappear.

"No!" screamed the familiar voice of Drake.

Tea ignored it as she clutched her heart. It for some reason had become heavy, it hurt. She could feel something cracking within in.

"Tea, don't wish anything. It will only prolong this fight another few thousand years!" yelled Drake as he rolled away from one of the many Guardian members fighting him. He caught one's leg and all but ripped it from the opponent's torso. He tried to make it towards her side but was stopped by two more members.

Tea stopped clutching her heart as she remembered this very scene. Of course, this was how it had all started. She had wished for it all to be over, for Alec to leave her alone. Tea felt her mind flash back to her wedding day all those years ago. Drake's story had been real, she had been there. Alec had launched one final attack on her and her friends. Everyone had thought Egypt was secure, that Alec was temporarily occupied. It was because of this peace that a celebration between her and Seth had been planned.

The ceremony had been small not just for security reason's but because there were only a handful of people Anzu and Seth had wanted there. Both stood side by side as Yami had read the vows. It was a bold move when halfway through the rituals Seth had moved slightly, his hand moving towards her. Tea remembered the rush of warmth she felt when his finger tips grazed her own in a rare display of public affection. Before Anzu had even been able to reach out for Seth's hand in response it had happened. There was so much blood, so much pain. By the time she had found herself in the chaos, her bearings finally being straight, Seth had been lying next to her nearly dead. He had blood coating his entire body, a gash stretching across his torso. People and creatures were running around frantically, trying to stop what they could. So many people had ran by her, hysterical, as they tried to get away. She had sat there with Seth in her arms, no one to help. To her left was an unconscious Mekubo, his millennium ring glowing slightly. Jyo was up in the sky near a building with a Red Eye, trying to fight what he could. Tori was of course right by his side on another winged creature she didn't have the time to name. Then there was Yami, the man who was supposed to marry the two lovers. His body was mangled and he had obviously suffered a large blow to the head.

She had wished, she had wished for it to be done, for everyone to be safe. She had wished that Alec was gone, that he could not find her. She had wished for a second chance.

Tea's eyes snapped open. This was because of her, everyone was here because of her. Back in Egypt everyone was dying, the fight had taken too much out of everyone and Tea had done her best to fix it. She had given everyone a second chance. The Millennium items had captured their souls from within their bodies in order to make her wish come true.

Her eyes snapped over to Seto who was standing in front of her like a lion protecting its pride. Her eyes then went to Mokuba who was still tied to the chair, gagged and bound as he tried to figure out what was happening.

With a new sense of determination Tea slipped her hand into Seto's free one. Her first instinct was to clutch as tightly as possible to fill that void Alec had taken away from her all those years ago. She was going to take this second chance at life and finish what she started. If at all possible, she would love to be with Seto like they had both counted on years before. Either way, she was going to fight for the people she loved. No matter what happened they were in this together. She didn't know how he felt about her, she wasn't entirely sure why he came here but she did know one thing. He wasn't half dead, he wasn't bleeding on the ground next to her. Seto Kaiba was standing strong right in front of her and she had every intention of keeping him that way.

Alec, seeing her determination grimaced. It appeared that he only enjoyed an attempt at breaking her when he was in control of the situation, when he was free to beat her into submission. Instead of turning back towards her, like she had suspected he would, Alec faced the youngest Kaiba brother. He was still tied up, the ropes cutting through his skin painfully with each twist, but was now across the warehouse pier from her. With a wicked look Alec turned back towards her, "Either you come to me willingly or I take him forcefully."

Tea felt the bile rise up in her throat. The last thing she would ever want for anyone, let alone someone she loved as much as she did Mokuba, was to be in this man's clutches. He was an entirely different level of crazy that no one should ever come across. He enjoyed hurting other's, he enjoyed being in power and most of all, he relished in exerting that domineering authority. There was no doubt in her mind that the fiend would hurt Mokuba right there, just to get a reaction out of her. It was clear the man hated Seto, but what wasn't clear was how Alec felt about her. He claimed to want her, to desire her, but what did that mean to such a twisted man? Did Alec himself even know? How could she use this to her advantage if she couldn't understand his logic, if there was even any to be found.

No matter the situation there was one clear thought going through her head. Mokuba was family and the sick bastard in front of her was not. No one touched her family.

"Blue Eye White Dragon, protect Mokuba!" she screamed. Tea wasn't sure if anything would come of it or if Drake could even hear her, but she felt like it needed to be said. Someone needed to hear her, someone needed to listen to her voice. She was desperate and she knew that someone, anyone, needed to be there for him. Tea had Seto, she could feel the beautiful man before her as Seto supported her weight, her heart, she could see him but Mokuba was alone.

Then she felt it, the overwhelming sense of power coursing within her. It was strong like a hurricane threatening to overwhelm a small city. She felt so insignificant in that moment, so unnecessary that for a second in time Tea felt herself pull away mentally. Thankfully she had Seto's strong grip to keep her rooted to the ground. She knew where she was meant to be. She was supposed to be standing here, right by his side. Seto would always protect her. It didn't matter what time, what generation or even what life time it was. This man before her would never let her down.

So she drew on that strength. Tea allowed her mind to relish in the idea of being protected. For once in her life someone else was going to be there for her. Just her. It was different than family, it was different than Mickey or anyone else from back home. No, this was much more personal.

That same strength coursed through her body as Tea re-directed her attention to Drake. She suddenly felt the overwhelming desire to look at him. In amazement she watched as a gold huge surrounded him. The light spread all around as it broke off from his body, forming ancient writing while spinning dangerously in a circle around him. With each passing second the now very blurry figure of her body guard grew, almost pulsing. The circle expanded with him until finally the walls of the warehouse couldn't take it anymore. The wall nearest to him burst with light as what appeared to be wings pierced the roof.

Tea took one step back in complete awe as tile crumbled to the ground crushing the monsters previously holding him down. With what could only be described as a roar Blue Eyes White Dragon stood in front of her, fully transformed. Half his body was outside of the warehouse the two of them had just moments ago walked into together. The roof was completely demolished due to his size, which was easily comparable to a four story building. His eyes on the other hand remained the same. Fierce, loyal and protective.

Tea watched through the gold haze surrounding them, thanks to the shield Seto had constructed around them through his Millennium Rod, as the beast named Drake charged towards Mokuba, rubble flying everywhere as he did so. His claws dug into the concrete and his wings sliced through anything and everything in his path. In less than a couple of seconds he had grabbed Mokuba with his talons, crouching his head over so slightly as he broke through what remained of the roof.

Drake would protect him, she knew it with all of her heart.

Tea turned towards Seto, who was shocked and looking at the empty space that his body guard had just flown through. It had to have been a surprise, especially considering how long Drake had worked for him. Mokuba had once told her that Seto's greatest wish was to fly on a Blue Eyes and Drake had informed her that Seth often did so in the past. A sudden, and admittedly insane, idea hit her like the broken roof her body guard had just flown through. Dragon's and bikes were similar right. Sure, why not? Everyone says that once you know how to ride a bike you never forget well, maybe dragons were the same.

Tea all but leaped into his arms, pushing herself as tightly against him as possible. If everything went wrong then she wanted to remember this. She wanted to remember his kiss, his touch and his baffled look. How fitting was it that she finally managed to get one out of him right before they were about to die.

"Seto, the monsters cannot touch him but we and I can. We have to kill him. Thousands of years ago you promised to catch me no matter what. Even when we fought, or when we argued I somehow always knew you would be there. This time is different, there is more than just us at stake. I have always counted on you to keep your word, but this time is going to be different. Both of us need to think of the bigger picture," she all but whispered the confession into his jacket but she knew Seto had heard her.

In response Seto placed his hands on her hips but did not pull her in towards his lean body. Instead he did the opposite and pushed her away. Tea was terrified, the last thing she wanted to do was look him in the eye. The worst thing she could think of happening was him seeing her cry.

"Tea," he said in his usual harsh voice. He sounded strong, he sounded put together. In all honestly he sounded like everything she wasn't at the moment. With more than a little bit of hesitancy the Guardian Princess looked up at the familiar face. Her eyes were red, her tears were streaking down her face and she had never been so scared in her whole life. Instead of pulling away like she thought he would Seto Kaiba did the unthinkable. His calloused hands slowly reached up towards her face. The underside of his thumb bushed under her eye and tenderly wiped away a falling tear, "you are the most infuriating woman I have ever met. You argue and defy me at every turn and I would be damned to hell before I let anyone else experience what is mine. You are mine to catch, anyone else would fail miserably."

A smile broke out across her face as she registered the familiar arrogance in his voice. "I am really sick of other people thinking they can do your job." It was as close to a confession as she would probably ever get, and Tea was elated to know that he was hers, and she was his, if only for what remained of the day. Only time would tell if they made it to the rest of their lives.

Kaiba literally scoffed in that moment, quickly bringing her out of her daze. Chaos surrounded them, Alec was nearly charging at them furiously, his little brother was being carried off to god knows where and his most trusted servant had just turned into a dragon right before his eyes and the man had the audacity to scoff. It was during moments like this that Tea knew why she loved him. Instead of pointing out his ability to handle any situation thrown at him Tea wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him as close as clothes would allow. She once again focused on that feeling of warmth coursing through her body as she kissed the elder Kaiba on the nose, "…You know how to ride a bike right?"

Seto actually had the physical ability to keep himself from voicing his concerns about her sanity. They were in the middle of a war and she was asking about something with two rubber wheels and an uncomfortable seat. Sometimes he wondered if there was any logic in her thinking. "Yes, why?"

"Because I am really hoping it is similar to flying on a dragon, apparently you and I used to do it all the time together," she voiced with a wicked grin.

Seto's confusion surfaced into a scowl, "Wait, what?"

Then she let the power surge. The familiar gold light surrounded their feet, the ancient hieroglyphics spreading around them in a brilliant swirl. Nothing could have prepared her though for the feeling of the earth, of cold concrete, breaking underneath her very feet. She felt like the earth was shattering right in front of her, a full on earth quake. No matter how tightly she tried to hold on, her grip around Seto couldn't take the force of the earth being uprooted and she immediately felt herself toppling backwards. With a near bone shattering landing Tea looked up from her seated position as what could only be described as silvery scales shot up from the ground.

Tea carefully looked at Seto who couldn't believe his eyes, who couldn't believe his senses. Slowly they were lifted off the ground, the tell all beating sound of a pair of wings surrounding her. She clutched onto the animal like her life depended on it as they rose into the sky, Seto right alongside her while riding his own powerful beast. A sudden rush of familiarity overwhelmed her and she knew exactly what to do. She knew how to position her legs, how to lean in order to keep the wind from hurting her ears. The only thing that felt wrong was the absence of a very strong pair of hands wrapping themselves around her body.

"You are becoming rather annoying little sister," hissed a voice to her left.

On instinct she dogged, as did the Blue Eye's below her. Tea watched as Alec's own newly summoned animal charged for her head, its talon's swiping at her previous position. He turned to charge at her but a blast of water stopped the creature she could not name. It was a miniaturized typhoon that all but drowned the poor creature. Tea looked to her right to see Mako running on top of the water battling the struggling creature. Alec had unfortunately jumped off his previous ride and had summoned another one, thus positioning himself for another full blown attack.

He was much better than her when it came to the use of powers.

Just as he was about to take on another attempt at her the familiar gold light separated them. The hand that had been not a foot away from her pulled back suddenly as the gold singed his now elongated claws. His once admittedly beautiful appearance seemed like nothing but a façade as the demon within appeared. The man had truly embraced what it was to be a guardian member. His skin turned a grayish hue and his eyes were like coal, not any sort of shine to them whatsoever. His nails looked like daggers as they grew inch by inch. The man before her had given up every ounce of humanity he once had, there was nothing left.

Tea turned towards the direction the gold light had come from and watched as Seto stood up on the Blue Eyes carrying him forwards. His arm was outstretched, the Millennium Rod glowing precariously as it pointed at Alec's form. The two were quickly engaged in battle as they attacked without mercy. The dragon's clawed their way through anything with flesh, both mouths were spurting attacks as their riders shouted profanities.

Tea spiraled downward as the Blue Eye's she was riding attempted to avoid three separate beasts intent of relieving him of his rider. She clutched tightly as what could only be described as a moth demon like creature charged her from the front. Before Tea could register it the animal was knocked out of the sky. Harpy had tackled the thing mid air, her rose whip slicing the creature as it screamed painfully. The other two were stopped by yet another wave of water inches before they met her. She watched as it circled around the three drowning creatures, pulling them in like a whirlpool.

With a nod to her friends, and thankful that she had not only remembered to call them but had also figured out how to summon Guardian's while in the warehouse, she motioned for the dragon to head upwards. Seto and Alec were still mid fight and she planned on using this to her advantage. Another enemy charged her but they were no match for Harpy, so Tea continued her speed. It was only when they reached as far as her body would let her, while still being able to see the fight, that Tea motioned the dragon to stop.

"Dive and don't you dare stop," and the dragon did.

It pushed all of its weight, all of its strength into pumping its wings. She intended to take Alec out today, nothing would stop her. She had a feeling that just like her brother's he was not impervious to the elements. The thing was, she needed to get close enough to use them. As the Blue Eye's dived and the wind whipped past her Tea reached up to her neck. She had come prepared, even if no one knew it. A year ago Mokuba had given her a gift, a gift that she cherished above all else. It was a simple little thing, completely insignificant to anyone else but it meant the world to her.

With a yank she pulled off the metal necklace, effectively breaking the chain. It was originally an Egyptian symbol for family molded out of iron. It was slightly bigger than most of her jewelry, about the size of a half dollar coin, and it usually hung under her clothes because of this.

She focused everything she had into this little object. Every ounce of heat, of power, of earth of lighting that she could manage would course through this little object. For a moment Tea felt herself turn dizzy due to the sheer power leaving her body, but right now wasn't the time to be feeling light headed. No, now was the time to fight.

Tea pulled her hand away from her chest and looked at the now glowing object. Lightening sparks surrounded it and she could feel the heat of it burning even her skin. This had to do the trick, this had to work.

The dragon continued to dive as the object in her hand built up energy. Somehow, with a force Tea didn't understand, the dragon knew exactly what she was planning. With a silent thank you for not arguing with her Tea stood on top of the now completely vertical dragon…and jumped.

She was falling at incredible speed but knew exactly where she was going.

Alec was going to catch her.

When she was close enough to make out both men's faces Tea felt her resolve slipping. Seto was looking at her like his world had just shattered. He wasn't going to be able to reach her, he couldn't move that fast. Tea felt a blinding heat tickle her senses like hot iron and she knew the dragon was doing his part. Alec, in his twisted sense of love had his own creature dive for her as he attempted to catch her in his demonic looking arms. It wasn't the face of a loving individual that greeted her, but that of a sadistic monster. The moment his hands touched her skin she felt his anger. Her arms blistered as heat pumped through his body in an attempt to hurt her, to subdue the wayward pet he viewed her as.

Her forceful fall was too much for him though, the dragon had been moving too fast and even his strength couldn't stop their momentum. They were both propelled off of his dragon and into the air heading straight for the ground. Whether it was water or land Tea couldn't tell, all she could register was the blinding heat that killed her senses as Alec clutched her tighter. Her skin literally felt like it was melting off of her bones as he leaned in closer, whispering in her ear, "I will burn every part of you that he has touched."

Alec's demonic eyes looked back up at the dragon previously carrying him in order to call it back to him but stopped mid yell when he finally looked up. A florescent ball of energy charged at them like hell on wheels. The dark dragon that had been diving for its hideous master screamed in pain as the light hit it, completely disintegrating its body. The light didn't stop there, but instead continued on towards the two siblings.

She once again felt the heat of Blue Eye's blast tickling her senses while knowing what was going to happen. Both her and Alec knew the normally destructive blow would only phase them, their bloodline protecting them from any lesser Guardian member around. Even so, their ride to safety had just been obliterated.

The light engulfed them and Tea felt a moment's worth of blinding pain from the attack but it quickly faded, even though both were still in the heart of the attack. Instead she felt Alec's grip tighten around her as he attempted to summon another beast but the dragon's attack blocked anything from entering to help.

She knew this was her chance, Tea knew that nothing else would work. With as much energy as she could muster Tea once again drew everything she had, adding to the already simmering power, into the small little object resting in her palm. The electricity around it crackled and fatigue swept over her but Tea still had work to do. She could barely manage to move her arms, the still forming boils across her skin preventing any type of movement, but somehow Tea managed. With a shove Tea thrust the object into the center of Alec's chest. The Blue Eye's attack had already destroyed their clothing, leaving them bare so she knew exactly where to put it. It was close to where his heart should have been but at the moment she doubted its existence.

"You bitch!" he screamed as the metal hit his body. He could feel the indescribable amount of energy attacking him like some form of disease. She had literally put everything she had into that attack and he could feel it in his body. She was actually trying to kill him, him! The smell of burning flesh assaulted his senses and unlike before the overwhelming sense of pleasure that came from hurting another did not appear because this time, it was not his baby sister's skin that was being marred. It was his own. He looked down to see what appeared to be a small object in her hands being pressed up against him and he scowled through his pain. She hadn't had any weapons on her, his men had made sure!

Another wave of agony hit him as the object was pushed deeper into his system, slowly burning through his body. The lightening coursed through him destroying everything from the inside out and he knew he might not make it through this. He watched without the ability to do anything as his body froze in shock to the power assaulting him; he watched as little Tea's hands burnt with each passing second looking more and more like sticks of charcoal. He surveyed her boiled covered body and knew that this was the end, but that he would not be going alone.

Tea had sacrificed herself to kill him. With one last chuckle he gathered his last remaining energy and pulled her as close as possible. He didn't care that it pushed the foreign object closer to his heart, or that he had effectively just signed his own death warrant. No, he had won. Tea was his. The fucking Priest had lost, he had won. Tea and him, the perfect match, would spend all of eternity in hell together side by side. He would destroy her inside and out for this act of defiance against him but he would still have her, he would always have her. Alec Guardian always got his way, he was as powerful as any god and god's always got their way.

Tea pushed the last of her strength into the necklace as she felt her body give out. The light from the Blue Eye's attack had just begun to fade but it didn't matter. Everything was already hazy and quickly turning black. She knew this was the end. Even if she somehow survived her body was at its limit. It didn't have anything to keep alive. Even if that weren't true, no one would be able to reach her in time. She had known it when she jumped off. She had known it when she had yanked the necklace from her neck. Nothing ever good came out of the situation when someone other than Seto Kaiba caught her.

Nothing.

* * *

Mokuba was dressed in all black as he tiredly sat in the wooden chair. A normal child his age would swing their legs back and forth or play some type of game while waiting, but this was not normal. Instead of fooling around he sat perfectly still, head bowed and eyes downcast. Absentmindedly his hands reached up to tighten the black tie he wore around his neck but he stopped midway through the act.

Tea had gotten him this tie.

A fresh wave of tears all but poured from his eyes and the youngest Kaiba did everything that he could to keep them at bay. Still, it did no good. Nothing was going to stop them and he knew it. It was only when he felt a shadow fall over him that the brave little boy gathered the courage to dry his eyes with his sleeve. Once he was sure he was presentable Mokuba looked up at the figure standing there. Drake, the man he had known for so many years, towered over him. The dragon tattoo was more prominent than ever thanks to his own black V-neck shirt. He slowly crouched down, now eye level with the young heir. He did not say a word, knowing that it was unnecessary. So, with an outstretched hand Drake pulled Mokuba into a fierce hug and let the poor boy cry his eyes out. It had after all been a stressful couple of weeks.

With a glace Drake looked towards the familiar wooden door to his right. He had spent the better part of fifteen years guarding the owner of that door and felt a sudden sense of jealousy towards Mokuba. Drake would give anything to do what the kid was, to sit outside of it for the past five days an just wallow in misery. He would give anything to just let the depression take its course but even he knew that wasn't the answer. Knowing that Mokuba might hate him for it Drake scooped the young boy in his arms and stood up.

"No! Put me back!" yelled Mokuba with as much fury as he could manage.

It was no use. The kicking, the screaming and yelling did no good. The thing had barely slept in five days and was beyond any plausible level of tired.

"Your brother would want you to sleep and take care of yourself," whispered Drake as he too glanced at the door.

"I need to be there, just in case!" yelled Mokuba as the tears once again began to pour.

"No Mokuba, you need to be ready for the day that he finally leaves his room again. I know this is hard but you need to be strong while your brother is…away," said Drake with a slight hiccup in his breath.

Yes, they all needed to be strong.

* * *

Seto Kaiba was not one to deal with emotions properly. He was not one to talk about his feelings or play the sentiment game. Instead he took action, he did was needed to be done and said what needed to be said. It was a position in life he rather preferred. In fact, for the majority of his life he had always thought that overly friendly people were unnecessary and over involved. Right now, he would give anything in the world for the pushy, loudmouthed busybody that was Tea to open her mouth and tell him to be nicer to puppies. In fact, he would even consider listening to her.

This was not the case though. She was not yelling at him, or telling him to spend more time with his brother. She was not eating his food, or running his household. No…she wasn't. Seto Kaiba felt a sudden rush of cold water hit his face as he splashed what he could onto him from the sink. He knew he needed to get a grip on reality but nothing was working. Work didn't help, drinking didn't help and surprisingly Mokuba had done little to no good.

Seto glanced at himself in the bathroom mirror one more time before turning away. He had dark circles under his eyes, which was odd considering the amount of sleep he was getting. Thankfully he had shaved this morning so the stubble that had been growing was now gone. Despite the freezing cold temperatures he wore nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms and an arm sling. His arm had nearly been broke in the battle with Alec as he had attempted to save Tea but Guardian healing magic was second to none. Instead of the months it should take for him to heal, it would be fully functional by the end of the week.

A week. It was hard to think that so much had happened in less time than that. With a scowl Seto pushed himself away from the sink and all but marched into his bedroom. He passed the familiar desk, the ever present laptop and his currently dead cell phone. He instead walked over his rug and headed straight for the bed. Nothing was more comforting than its silky contents. Seto all but fell into the matress, pulling the unmade covers around him like a security blanket. The moment his head hit the pillow the man rolled towards the middle area, pulling the warm body closer to his own.

Brown hair cascaded over the familiar sheets, delicate eye lids shut like in a wistful dream. Absentmindedly he pulled his hand out and brushed the bare part of his finger tips over the smoothness of her exposed shoulder. On instinct Seto yanked the strap of the sling from its position to hold him in. He flexed his arm glad to see that it only hurt a little bit. It was much better than the backwards position it had been in a few days ago. With a sigh he leaned back against his pillow and shut his eyes. His now free arm slowly danced over Tea's stomach as he checked the familiar wounds. He had done this day and night for the last five days waiting for any type of change but nothing had happened so far.

He didn't know what to do.

It was only when his hand continuously ran across smooth skin that something registered as incredibly wrong. Where were Alec's burn marks? Seto's eyes snapped open as he yanked the sheets away from her body. She was dressed in a simple cami and underwear, but nothing else was there. There were no burns or scars, just perfect skin.

The woman's arm moved slightly and the action was quickly followed by a feminine groan. Seto watched as the woman next to him pulled her arms above her head and stretched like her favorite cat. Her eyes fluttered slightly until the bright blue that only she could convey flashed at him. "S-Seto?"

In a moment he was on top of her. His entire body trapped her smaller one through sheer muscle mass. His broad back hid her from anyone's view but his own, his legs quickly tangled in with her own in an attempt to prove that yes, she was indeed there. Seto's eye's searched her curious face before he couldn't take it anymore. He leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers like the god's themselves were planning on taking her away. It still wasn't enough. Seto needed more proof that she was there and conscious with him. He quickly ran his palm up her outer thigh and was pleasantly surprised when he heard another feminine moan.

He wasted no time and possessively pushed his own tongue into her waiting mouth. She responded in kind, matching him for everything he was worth. He all but ran the tip of his tongue across her inner cheek before resuming their battle. It was almost heavenly when he felt her arms reach out and wrap themselves around his torso. They slid up his back, their mouths never once parting, and he felt a beautiful sensation run through his body with each movement. He pressed harder when her fingers finally reached his hair and the sensation of her fingernail digging wantingly into his scalp.

God he loved her.

Only when they needed air did they finally pull away, but even then Seto did not give up his affections. He tenderly kissed the corner of her mouth, then her cheek, and finally her jaw. Truthfully he wanted to continue the downwards path but was stopped by the realization that she had just woken up.

Instead of moving off of her though, he transferred more weight onto his knees and wrists while continuing to cage her. Seto watched as her now closed eyes slowly re-opened, her chest heaving up and down seductively as she attempted to catch her breath. Her already cherry red lips were darker due to the blood rushing to them and he couldn't help but feel proud with each calming pant. It was only when she finally looked at him with an even stare that he temporarily stopped admiring her.

"I'm not dead?" she tried.

Seto smirked and answered no.

"Are you sure? I feel dead," Tea whispered while moving her own hand up to her forehead in order to remove a wayward bang.

In response Seto reached out with his own hand and grabbed her tender wrist. He moved it towards his mouth and kissed her inner wrist, "I assure you, it is not for a lack of trying."

In slight awe at his affection Tea continued to follow his lips, quickly remembering the feel of them on her own. It was a more than pleasant way to wake up and she wouldn't mind doing it again for the rest of her life. Nothing could ever top that wake up call, she didn't care what any advertisement said. In fact, the bliss that accompanied Seto Kaiba was one of the reason's she thought something was wrong. It couldn't be normal to feel that good. With her eyes still dead set on him, but now locked with his own amused ones, Tea asked the question burning on her lips, "What happened?"

Seto slowly leaned down, a sense of sensuality and arrogance dripping off of him in waves. It was only when their foreheads were touching that he answered, "I caught you."

* * *

Seto Kaiba was a very busy man. He ran one of the largest corporations in the world and several smaller ones under it. He had thousands of employees working under him all of which needed to be supervised. He had a younger brother who was hell on earth when he didn't get his way and friends who never could grasp the concept of respect. To add to his burden there was the management of the guardian members which had somehow fallen into his lap as well. Yes, he had help but honestly speaking it was just one more stressor.

He almost angrily tried to fix his crooked tie only to find that it was once again off center. What was his problem? It was just dinner, it was a normal night like any other. Yes there were things he would rather be doing than sitting in a room full of people he saw nearly every day and yes there was a Guardian deposition plan for job relocation that needed to be filed but this was more important. So why couldn't he concentrate?

Suddenly delicate hands wrapped themselves around him and he felt a tight little body press herself up against his back, "Calm down."

He all but growled at her playful attitude. Why was she perfectly calm? Why wasn't anything on her crooked? He turned a little forcefully as Tea's eyes lit up in amusement. She looked as perfect as ever and he couldn't help but notice the way her dress clung to her. Her dancer body was still as fit as ever and the dress did nothing to hide it, but in a tasteful way. Suddenly he had the urge to make everything on her disheveled but in a much more satisfying way than rumpling her hair. He knew that she would never let him though, they only had ten minutes to get to the restaurant where everyone was waiting. "You fix it then."

Tea giggled as she reached up and pulled his tie off. She slowly started redoing the familiar motions as they spoke, "What has you so rattled?"

"This dinner is stupid," he said plainly.

"Seto Kaiba!" she yelled playfully while happily smacking his arm. "You had better say you are kidding. Your brother has been looking forward to this night for years and I will be damned if you ruin it for him."

Tea pulled the tie tightly until it was perfectly aligned with his neck. After straightening it out she stepped away happily, yet still knowing this conversation wasn't over.

Seto, taking his cue, began the week old argument, "I don't see the purpose. We see them all the time."

Tea walked over towards the bed where her light jacket rested. Next to it was a beautifully imported scarf Seto had given her this morning as a surprise present. He was always doing things like that, especially lately. Of course, trying to convince anyone other than her that Seto Kaiba was indeed romantic was like trying to convince someone that the sky was purple. It didn't help that said man did everything he could to dispute it. "This is different and you know it, besides Mai when to a lot of trouble to put this night together."

Kaiba scowled, "This is ludicrous. We have a lot of work to do before we leave and this dinner will set us back. I suggest we just stay in together without anyone to bother us."

Tea, who was in the middle of wrapping her scarf around her neck couldn't help the smile slowly creeping along her face. Despite what the conversation was about, she knew exactly what the problem was. Kaiba could care less about staying in or doing work, he just didn't want her to leave. So, in an attempt to save him some face she turned towards him. Without a word she placed a small kiss on his lips, "We will see each other in the morning."

Seto Kaiba did not want to spend the night alone.

Instead of letting her walk out the door to the waiting car Seto grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into his arms. He possessively buried his head into the crook of her shoulder while pushing her body to mold his own, "Don't leave."

"It is one night. We will have dinner with our friends, celebrate with some of your favorite wine and I will go home with Mai. Then tomorrow at 10 o'clock in the morning we will see each other again," she said happily. Honestly, when she first started dating him she had no idea he would become this attached. If she would have known that…she would have dated him years before.

"Screw the wine, stay here," he whispered suggestively into her ear. He took a quick nibble on it, knowing that it was innocent enough to keep her there but provocative enough to make her think twice about staying.

"Seto, it's tradition," she said pleadingly. In all honesty, if he kept doing what he was doing she might actually stay. The truth was, she was as nervous as he was. This was the first time in a year and a half that they would be spending a night away from each other. Most people would say that was sad or smothering, but Tea just saw it as a testament for how much they loved each other. She absentmindedly started playing with the familiar ring resting on her left hand, the one on a very recognizable finger.

They were getting married tomorrow and tonight was the rehearsal dinner. She knew with all her heart that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man and couldn't wait for the moment they walked out of that church together. It was a surprisingly small wedding, Seto never being one to invite people to watch his private life, and Tea not wanting it to become a corporate event. They had invited their closest friends and family, the guest list reaching around 50 people total. Even so, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Seto seemed to realize that perhaps dinner was for the best, even though he wasn't happy about it. He knew the wedding was important to her, if only because it was so important to Mokuba. The kid had wanted them to get married since the day Tea became his idol and the boy was finally getting his wish. Needless to say the brat was all but bouncing off the walls with joy. In fact, the only time Mokuba had ever shown this level of happiness was after the battle with Alec.

Seto remembered that day vividly. He had deeply regretted his inability to share his pain, or Tea for that matter, with Mokuba during those trying five days. So, when both him and Tea had walked out of the room together Mokuba had nearly wet himself with joy. He wouldn't let the two of them out of his sight for nearly three weeks, unless of course it was to lecture his elder brother. Two days after she woke up Mokuba had ordered Seto to get into the car where they drove for a good half hour without a word said. The only reason Seto left with him in the first place was out of guilt for neglect and the knowledge that Drake would die for Tea and she was therefore safe. It was with great surprise that Mokuba all but yanked Seto out of the car and dragged him into a jewelry store straight towards the engagement ring section.

He believed the exact words were 'are you done screwing this up?'. That was the day Seto realized how grown up Mokuba had become and how much the boy loved Tea. What's more, Seto learned how much he loved the argumentative woman because for a second there, Seto had actually considered buying one. Thankfully his rationale was semi-present and he was able to convince Mokuba that a new necklace would do just fine. For now at least, he would take it slow. But it was only with an hour's worth of reassurance that him and Mokuba agreed that within two years time Tea would have a wedding ring on her finger.

"…Suit 593."

Seto looked down at the woman in his arms as a smirk slowly slid across his face, "You are staying in our suit?" And it truly was their suit. Every time Seto needed to get away from business that was where they stayed. They were the only ones who knew about it and had bought it out for an entire year at the beginning of every year. They even had two keys specifically for them. One was tucked away in Tea's purse and the other was strapped in Seto's wallet.

"Mai will be staying two doors down, she thinks it is just another room for the wedding. We are planning on going to bed around midnight and all the bridesmaids have wakeup calls at six in the morning," she said while kissing his mouth tenderly.

"I will be there at 12:01," he said hungrily while kissing her back. The little wench had planned this out. She had purposefully made sure he could get in and out without trouble. This right here was one of the many reason's he was marrying her, that and she ran his company as effectively as he did.

She hummed happily, "Better make it 12:02, you know how she likes to talk."

Seto lifted the petite woman into his arms as their lips made contact once more. When they parted he slowly whispered back, "12:02, but not a second later."

She giggle, "12:02 and blindfolded. I am sticking with tradition."

He in turn growled like a ravenous dog he to this day still pretended Joey was, "Whatever you want but I am there at 12:02, screw it if Mai is still there. In fact Mickey could be standing in the room with you and I would still walk in."

Tea just laughed as he walked out of the room, her in his arms like a sac of dog food. It would be too much to ask for him to carry her like a decent person to their rehearsal dinner. No, that just wouldn't be their relationship. No, there relationship was entirely based on bantering and secret moments like this that no one ever believed happened. Most people would never understand why someone like Tea would ever want to spend the rest of her life with someone like Seto Kaiba. She had on multiple occasions tried to explain her logic, even if it was a little bit fuzzy to her as well. In the end she always came up with the same answer.

No one else can catch her like he does.

* * *

**Firevixen73** – So cute, I bet you all thought Tea was dead didn't you? I had some fun writing that part because I was thinking of everyone's faces when they realized that she wasn't. For all of you wondering this is the last chapter, Healing is officially done. If anyone wants to read some other writings of mine I have a few stories for Inuyasha and Naruto for your pleasure. I hope everyone liked it. I really enjoyed writing this fanfiction. I am a Seto/Tea fan all the way and am happy that so many people enjoyed reading my work. Thank you for all of your support and reviews, they really kept this story alive.


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